hey hey! summer is winding down and school is about to start up, and if you’re anything like me you have a love-hate relationship with school…and you only love it cause you get to see your friends 😂 for me as a homeschooler, tutorial starting again is huge cause I get to see my friends after seeing many of them not at all all summer 😂 since I had a bit of a rough experience at the beginning, I thought I’d offer some of my best advice, (that can work for any grade) plus sharing some must have school supplies for any grade…lets get started!
a l l t h e t i p s s s s s s
1. have your friend group
I know sometimes we move schools, friend move away, etc. but having your core group of 2-3 friends is super important so you have someone to sit with at lunch, walk to classes with, and trust and confide in.
2. get cute supplies!
this isnt necessary at all, but its such a confidence booster! I’ll share some of my favorite cute supplies towards the end of this post 😉 make sure you also have everything you need + things you might need so you’re 100% prepared for school starting!
3. try to stay out of the drama
I know that this is so so hard, but my 6th grade year started out great and things started going downhill around halloween once people adjusted and started being mean. stick to those 2-3 good friends, and don’t gossip about others, because it can get back to them quickly and then you have a bad situation on your hands.
4. take lots and lost of notes
note taking is so important, and if you pay lots of attention in class and take notes you that you don’t end up needing all of them, you still have extra notes for another test down the road, or to look back on one day. it’s so helpful to have!
5. be polite & respectful
and not just your teachers, new kids, other staff, and even people that you don’t necessarily like. in middle school, rumors spread so fast and if you ignored that one person one morning when you just didn’t want to talk to them, things spread and many middle school girls over exaggerate a lot, so be careful. and with teachers, its super important, they after all, are grading you and teaching you, and they are also adults, so we need to respect them.
6. keep up with your homework
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. in middle school homework is a lot more (I homeschool so everything is homework for me lol) but getting behind on any schoolwork is so hard. because you (1) have to do the catch up work and (2) keep up with the work that is consistently being given to you. then you continue to get behind, and you also have sports, and friends and family life to add into that mix which can get really stressful. staying on top of things will avoid that!
7. please don’t do the 6th grade boyfriend/girlfriend thing
*this is mostly my personal opinion* this is mainly the reason I had such a hard 6th grade year. the summer going into 6th there was this guy I liked…and im not going to get into it, but it was rough and friendships were ruined, and I had a really hard time finding new friends halfway into the year. in 6th grade, it also isnt worth it and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…you can’t drive anywhere, you cant go on dates, and for my sisters in Christ, we shouldn’t just be “dating” for the sake of dating, we should be dating to marry someone, and even if this person might be the one you think you might marry someday, you cant get married anytime soon as a 6th grader, and you might just end up really hurt. its perfectly fine if you like someone, and thats complete normal for us. but taking it too far can be really hurtful in the long run.
8. use good time management
in middle school, not only is school on your to-do list, but so is sports, clubs, hanging with your friends, and youth group + events. and if you add to that list growing in your relationships with God and your family, plus being able to sit back and just enjoy life, time is being filled pretty regularly. try to stick to one or two activities, but make sure to prioritize other things that are important, like God, friends, and family. blocking out each day is another good method…and using a planner is SUPER helpful!
9. have a google doc with formulas
in 6th and 7th grade math, they drop a lot of random seeming formulas that I know I forgot in 6th…but come 8th grade year, and they’re re-teaching all of these formulas for pre algebra, and I’ve started to keep all my formulas in a google doc, so when I need them, they’re all right there! plus, it won’t get lost and I can keep adding to it through high school and college!
10. studying is so so so important
I know this is kind of obvious, but it really is a big help! even just going over flashcards and reading through that module of your science book before a quiz, instead of maybe scrolling through insta or pinterest. another big help-for me, I love listening to some of my favorite songs that make me happy that help with my mindset (we will talk about mindset more in a minute ;)) and motivate me to get my school work done…there’s this trend and they’re calling it “romanticizing life” and listening to music while you study and maybe eating a cute snack really (at least for me) helps with that, and gives me motivation and main-character vibes 🤣
11. mindset is everything
mindset is so important, even just in normal day-to-day life, but especially in middle school and high school. like I talked about a minute ago, motivating yourself with music or a aesthetic study space (I do recommend desks over a beanbag chair tho 😂) can make you happy and make you feel like you can do that hard math paper or write that English essay. a great book that helped me prep my mindset for the school year is the book soundtracks by Jon Acuff (the young reader version is way more easily relatable to us than the adult version, so I’d recommend the YR one ;))
m y f a v o r i t e s c h o o l s u p p l i e s
my favorite highlighters! these midliners are great highlighters, but also are great for hand lettering, taking notes, bullet journaling, and Bible studies!
I love five star notebooks! I have one for each subject, and this year they have some super cute designs!
my backpack! I love this backpack so much! I got it at the beginning of last year and it has so many pockets and a charger 😂 its also super cute and perfect for a sporty girl like me who also likes to have some class sometimes 🤣
that’s it for this post guys! hope all these tips are helpful-for whether your starting middle school or have already finished. I’d love to hear how your years are going or when you start, so feel free to drop a comment and get a conversation started!
mayim <3
15 Comments
This is so awesome, Mayim! Yes I love the tips about staying out of drama especially, I do, at my school they mostly have a lot of drama about politics and lgbt etc and I stay out of that PS Do you have any tips for handling all the lgbt drama going on cuz girl, I am at the end of my rope with it.
thanks Hannah! hmmm this is a tough topic. I dont know where you stand on the whole thing, but when I come across it I try to stay out of it. as a daughter of Christ, I at the same time use my actions and the way I carry myself to share christ instead of being super outright about it, but at our age staying out of it might be the best solution 😉 otherwise, since im homeschooled, I dont interact with it much, but thats the best I think I can do for ya ;))
Yup I agree! Thanks Mayim!
PS. I notice that sometimes when I comment the previous commenter’s info is showing up in the name, email and website boxes, I feel like this may be because you turned on to save it. So tip for anyone else reading this, while I feel like it’s a good idea to keep commenting open the way it is now, I’d recommend you guys not doing the save thing, because I see how this could become a security issue.
If you don’t mind, Hannah, I can give some advice here. I am also homeschooled, but I’ve been dealing with the same kind of lgbtq drama even at my church, so I have a bit of experience. My best advice is “love the people, hate the sin”. I don’t know exactly what your beliefs are regarding homosexuality… but I can say as a strong believer against it, it’s been really tough going through friendships with lgbtq people. The best thing to do in friendships is if the topic of homosexuality comes up, share your honest opinion on it in a kind and loving way. Tell your friend you love them but you don’t support that specific choice in their life. (You don’t need to bring it up out of the blue, but if they bring it up at all, you should speak up and not be afraid to share your opinion). If somehow they’re offended by that, oh well, you tried your best, and you can still be kind to them and show them God’s love. Just be an example for them.
With people at school who may not be your close friends but you know they are lgbtq, it’s the same thing; just be a good example and show kindness. You don’t have to agree with any of it, but you can still show love to these people. Invite them to church, encourage them to pray, etc. You don’t necessarily have to confront the issue of homosexuality outright, you can just help them where you can.
I don’t know any of your exact situations at school, but I went through something like this with an lgbtq friend recently, so I understand how hard it is.
Also, I agree with Mayim of staying out of lgbtq drama–at least, don’t insert yourself into drama if it’s not necessary. But I understand how sometimes people we love are lgbtq, and drama is definitely unavoidable, so all we can do is handle it with kindness and love.
I hope this was helpful 🙂
Sorry that was so long lol. I don’t know exactly what you’re going through but I thought I’d share some of my experience.
Thanks!!
thank for offering your advice as well Annabelle!
I love all your tips, Mayim! I’m starting my sophomore year of high school, so I can attest that these tips are really helpful for middle school, and they definitely still apply to high school too! 😄 I really appreciate what you said about the “6th grade boyfriend/girlfriend thing” since I definitely have the same opinion. And staying out of drama is so so important! Thanks for sharing these < 3
thank you Alannah! yes, its something that people need to hear 😂 even as a 8th grader I’m being really intentional not to turn something into officially dating because in middle school it really can just be a potential recipe for disaster, but especially at the beginning 🤦🏻♀️ thanks for commenting, I always love hearing from you :))
Great tips, Mayim! Buying cute school supplies is my favorite–not only is it just fun to have, but it helps me get motivated and excited about doing my work!
thank you! yes thats so true 😆
When I went to a charter school ( I unschool now) there were 5th GRADERS DATING!!! Like, your $5 dollar allowance won’t even pay for 2 starbucks drinks, kid 😆
Also- Having a special playlist for your studying is so, so important. My tutor has an all instrumental one and it’s so nice to have something in the background while you’re working on stuff.
Also, also- The drama thing is really true (I have such a hard time staying out of it) the tween boys at my co-op are OBSESSED with crushes and between them and the public school theatre kids I can’t get a break
PS: Sorry for this insanely long comment
so glad you agree and never apologize about long comments-i love reading them 😂
No bc the staying out of drama is so real 😭 and don’t be afraid to apologize to your friends if you mess up! Don’t be that one friend that doesn’t apologize!
Totally has nothing to do with my real life.
And having fun school supplies is amazing too! 😊 this was a great post!
it really is 😭 thats another great tip! losing friendships over dumb things that you could’ve worked out is always hard 🙁 thanks RJ!
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