5 Things to Teach Middle School You Won't Find in Textbooks

We spend so much time filling our students with math facts, scientific ideas, grammar. And those are all important. But there are so many other things they also need to learn! Here are five skills that you won’t find in any textbook but your child should definitely teach in middle school.

How does your student handle frustrating schoolwork?

Some kids seem naturally wired to work through frustration.  My middle-schooler is not one of those!  When she was a tiny baby this was true.  As a middle-schooler, it is still true.  When frustration mounts, some people shut down, others plow through.  Some people never try things that may be frustrating so they don’t have to deal with it.
As moms, we don’t relish seeing our kids in a state of frustration.  And as homeschooling moms, who wants to deal with a kiddo who is melting down because they are frustrated?!!  Sometimes I worry that by being able to adapt curriculum to their styles, that all the 1-on-1 help, etc., I have set them up to not deal with frustrations.  If your middle schooler doesn’t move through frustration in a clear & efficient manner, now is the time to help them learn to do it.
What can you teach?

• • Help them identify the feelings as they mount.
  • Teach them to identify the reactions in their body like clenched jaws & tightened fists.
  • Give them scripts they can say to themselves. {“What do I need to know to solve this?” “Just because I don’t know the answer now doesn’t mean I can’t figure it out.”} 
  • Teach them when to set it aside and when to plow through. There are benefits to learning both.  

Give them the skills that work for their personality. I had a college floor-mate who couldn’t handle minor frustrations.  Oh, the stories I have!  Don’t let your child be her!!

Make sure your middle schooler knows how to find answers.

In a recent video, I shared that I learned to navigate textbooks because I’d look through them when I was bored in class.  It only occurred to me last year, when my daughter had no idea where to find the index when I told her to look something up in it, that my kids don’t have that same experience.
Teach them how to navigate a textbook, how to use a dictionary & thesaurus, how to evaluate online sources, how to use Google & Siri, how to use other resource books you may have in your homeschool.  This will also help with teaching kids to work through their frustrations because they will have skills to problem-solve.

Does your student take good, effective notes?

This is an area we have not done well.  I have slacked.  I expected she’d just start picking it up on her own as she took outsourced classes.  She hasn’t.  The remainder of this year, we will focus on note-taking skills.  If you have no idea where to start, a prescribed method like the Cornell note-taking method is a good place to begin.

How are your student’s test-taking skills?

Many parents have their students take standardized tests whether their state dictates it or not.  For those kids, you may have already covered skills for standardized tests.  What about other kinds of tests though?  Fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer and essay tests are all types they may encounter in their high school studies.
Now is a great time to work on those skills…before they count!  You could make up sample tests based on their school work, Google for sample tests or purchase a book like this one or this one.

Can your student create his/her own schedule in a way that works well?

From the beginning, I’ve let my kids decide the order of their work while I set the hours.  Each one attacks their workload differently.  One works through all their quickest work first, one always tackles math & Spanish first and one changes it up each day.  Allowing them to experiment with what works best for each of them means they can find what truly works for themselves.  My kiddo who works through their quickest work first is motivated by seeing things crossed off his list.  My daughter, though, is motivated by knowing she’s conquered the work that requires the most concentration.  She hates getting to the end of the day with hard work still ahead, my son hates starting out with hard work.
They will learn a lot about their personalities by choosing their own schedule.  They will learn what motivates them, how they work effectively & efficiently while also taking the responsibility of their schedule.

Bonus: How to explore their own interests

If your child has a new interest that sparks her, does she know how to learn more about it? Does she know how to find good information online? Can she easily navigate the library to find books about it? Could she identify community resources, like a parks & rec department, that would help her grow her interest?  Some kids do this well, others need more guidance.  Equip your kiddo so they can continue to learn long beyond their homeschool years.