Poor Jan Brady. Tortured in her position as
second blonde to cool, pretty Marcia, and not as cute as lisping little Cindy, she suffered a classic case of middle child
syndrome, as the overlooked, ignored sibling. (Remember the episode in which she embarrassed herself with a hideous brunette
wig, a pathetic attempt at “groovy”?)
According to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive
entitled A Voice from the Middle, which recorded the perspectives of 7th
and 8th grade students, a frequently overlooked demographic, middle school kids’ chief concerns are bullies
and gangs, and they are victims of an expectation vs. information “gap” that threatens their long-term academic
goals (“Caught in the middle,” by Dana Markow, Ph.D., Harris Interactive Trends & Tudes newsletter, Volume
6, Issue 5, June 2007).
What’s important to middle school kids?
Doing well in school tops the list, as nearly all (96%) state that it is “very” or “somewhat important”
that they earn good grades. A vast majority (90%) state that they feel prepared to succeed this coming school year, despite
the fact that nearly two-thirds (63%) characterize their schoolwork as “very” or “somewhat” difficult.
The biggest challenge for children this age
is not academic obstacles, but social hurdles to overcome. Almost half of respondents (46%) maintain that their biggest problem
regarding school is the behavior of fellow students, with bullies and gangs (15%) being the most-cited concern. “Inappropriate
student behavior” was a close second (14%), followed by “social pressures” (12%). The fourth issue cited
as the “biggest problem” at school was the first one unrelated to student conduct: “inappropriate teacher
behavior” (10%), though it was followed by another peer-related concern, “fights” (7%). And, while 63% of
children had maintained that their schoolwork was very or somewhat difficult, “inappropriate teaching methods”
and “too much homework” came in last on the list of biggest problems students face in school (6% and 5%, respectively).
No child is left behind when it comes to recognizing
the importance of standardized tests, even if most feel that it is most valuable to people other than themselves. While the
majority of kids want to score well on standardized tests and characterize doing so as “important” to them (88%),
more students feel it is important to their parents (92%) and nearly all feel that it is important to their teachers (96%).
Even so, more than half (59%) state that they get the right amount of standardized tests, while less (36%) feel that they
take too many. Most students (71%) recognize their grades as given to them by their teachers as fair assessments of their
abilities in the classroom.
High school predictions reveal some mild insecurities
about what middle school kids feel will be expected of them. While nearly two-thirds of respondents characterized their current
academic workload as very or somewhat difficult, the vast majority (91%) expect the same of their high school workload. However,
this sentiment is tempered with confidence: most (85%) state that they feel prepared to succeed in high school. A minority
(30%) fear that their writing, math, and reading skills are not strong enough to master high school work, but the majority
(61%) do feel their skills are proficient.
Middle school kids are already thinking beyond
high school, as more than half (55%) state that they will “definitely” attend college. Thirty-seven percent of
respondents state that they “probably” will attend, and a small minority, (8%) state that they probably or definitely
will not attend. Unfortunately for those planning to attend college, many are unaware of which high school courses will best
prepare them for higher learning. Over a quarter (28%) state that they lack information to guide them as to which classes
to choose upon entering high school, that will best prepare them for college.
According to the article, middle school students
suffer from a unique “gap,” stemming from high expectations placed upon them, combined with limited resources
guiding them to make informed academic decisions.
No ugly brunette wig will fix that.
