Junior High from a Kid’s Perspective

Junior high is a battleground for kids. It is a battle to remain popular, to look "cool" and to be the best in the eyes of others. The battle rages every day, week, month, and year. The following is a step-by-step description of how students feel at different stages of junior high school.

1. A cold shiver runs up your back. You are now officially a junior high student. When sixth graders enter junior high they already have a feeling that somehow their world will never be the same. I will never forget that moment when I first stepped into junior high. Rumors about teachers and homework float in your head. You enter a new domain with a gulp.
   
2. As you seat yourself in your class the first time, you see a shadow behind the door. The silhouette moves slowly closer to the door. It has in its grip weapons that cause you great despair. The door gives a gentle creak and opens. A scream is about leave your lips but you manage to control it, barely. Behind the door is a teacher clutching some books and binders.
   
3. The sixth graders are treated like special beings in junior high. They are separated from the rest of the school. Sixth graders have their own hallway and are given special breaks so they can adjust to their new world. The sixth graders live in a separate junior high. This is because the teachers realize that the "real" junior high is a hostile environment and the sixth graders would not be able to handle that junior high.
   
4. Once you enter seventh grade the tables turn. The newcomers are perfect targets. You are now "experienced" with the ways of junior high. You now give the treatment you received from the, now, eighth graders. This is now clearly the golden law of junior high.
   
5. As seventh graders you always feel like the middle child that is always forgotten. The eighth graders are given special treatment because it is their last year and the sixth graders are given special treatment because it is their first year. Thus, seventh graders are left feeling like they are unwanted in the school (somewhat).
   
6. Once you are in eighth grade the school is your kingdom. Everyone bows down at your feet. You are the ultimate power of junior high. All happenings must be reported to you. All fashion styles must begin from you. All the "cool" kids must be crowned by you. The power that comes with being an eighth grader is… Wow!
   
7. Being an eighth grader is not all good, however. With the entire school cowering at your feet, you start to worry about the beginning of the cycle again. You are on the verge of becoming a high school student, the only experience in your entire academic career scarier than entering junior high school.

A cold shiver runs up your back. You are now officially a high school student. This cycle is unstoppable. From no power to ultimate superiority, this cycle repeats itself indefinitely throughout your academic career.

Date posted: February 07, 1999.

What do you think about this?
Back to my homepage
Back to the weekly column