Middle School and the Age of Adjustment A Guide for Parents

Subjects:

• Education » Guidance & Counseling
• Psychology » Adolescent Psychology

Reviews:

• Parents and teachers will do well to examine this title about the challenging middle school years typified by sixth graders asking thousands of questions and eighth graders knowing everything....Becuase of the joint audience of parents and teachers, this book is a solid addition for public libraries to be placed on adult nonfiction shelves and also a possible purchase for the professional collection in school libraries.
  —VOYA February 2004

• Endorsement From Kenneth R. Greenberg
  Professor/Director of School Counseling
  University of Maryland, College Park: This is an excellent resource for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with a middle school population. It reflects the experience and expertise of a professional school counselor. The thoughts and suggestions for teachers and parents are clear and concise. It includes the critical issues that all middle school aged children, their teachers and parents will encounter.
• Endorsement From Dedra H. Green
  Resource Guidance Counselor
  Montgomery County Public Schools: This is a must read for any parent sending a child to middle school. It captures the "pure" essence of adolescence. Having spent twenty-five years in the business as a middle school counselor and dealing with so many of the issues presented in this book, I found myself nodding my head throughout the entire book. The situations and suggestions were right on the money! The scenarios presented are very realistic and the advice given in very practical and it works. This book is one of the most comprehensive and well written books on middle schoolers that I have ever read. I can't wait to have this book published so I can recommend it to my parents.
• Endorsement From Dorothy Colding
  Principal
  Farquhar Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools: Through many colorful anecdotes, Eileen Bernstein brings clarity to the complex social, physical, and emotional changes of middle school boys and girls.
• Endorsement From Margeurite T. Gaffney
  English Teacher
  Montgomery County Public Schools: Eileen Bernstein's book is one that I wish I had when my children were in middle school. The format is direct, clear, and engaging. Specific examples in the shape of situations taken from Ms. Bernstein's extensive practical experience in middle school enliven the text.
• Endorsement From Linda Kass
  Former Middle School Counselor Specialist
  Montgomery County Public Schools: Middle School and the Age of Adjustment. A Guide for Parents by Eileen Bernstein is a must read for all parents regardless of the age of their children. Ms. Bernstein captures the essence of the middle school student with clarity, understanding and true meaning of the middle school journey. Through vignettes and real life examples the reader will develop a vivid picture and a clear understanding of the social, emotional and physical changes that middle school students experience. I applaud Ms. Bernstein for writing about her middle school experiences through the eyes of her role as both a parent and a middle school counselor!

Table of Contents:

• Who Is a Middle School Child?
• Adjustment to Sixth Grade
• Boys' Challenges
• Girls' Challenges
• The Power of the Peer Group: Clothes, Bullies, Drugs
• School Achievement
• How to Communicate with Teachers
• Outside Interests and Positive Identity
• The Sexual Messages in Our Society
• Effective Communication
• Boundaries, Limits, Expectations, and Consequences
• Development and the Passage of Time
• Special Needs Children
• Sibling Conflict
• Violence in Schools
• Entertain Me Now!
• More about Sex
• You Are a Parent, Not a Friend
• Can Middle School Students Be Stressed?
• Accepting Your Child
• Reflections of Ninth Graders about Middle School
• The Effects of Divorce on Middle School Children
• Step Parenting Can Work, Or It Can Be a Disaster
• The Importance of Early and Continuous Career Exploration
• After Middle School--High School Is Different
• Resilience
• The Power of Family Love
• Bibliography
• Index