Middle school is a… well, interesting experience, but nonetheless integral to one’s life. It’s something everyone goes through, at one point.
I’m about to be thrown into high school in less than six months. It really made me think, because here I am, in the 8th grade, 13 years old, and not prepared for it at all. I realized how much I’ve taken middle school for granted- going through every day quickly and carelessly without really cherishing them.
As much as I’d like to argue it: middle school could’ve been an amazing part of my life, but I’ll never get it back.
Middle school are the years when you place yourself. When you figure out who you are, or who you want to be, while at the same time gaining experiences from different things. You find a group of friends who really are friends and stick with them, rather than hang out with everybody. It’s a time for many where belonging and fitting in is more important than academics (which it really shouldn’t be).
The thing is, at middle school and especially my school, you can’t do anything without being unfairly judged. The words that everyone tells you, “just ignore them,” doesn’t exactly work. As far as anyone is concerned- middle school is the world and that’s it. Who’s wearing what and who’s dating who is apparently all that matters.
And the thing is, more than we’d like to admit, we’ve all grown up with each other- believe it or not. Some since kindergarten, and some joined the journey along the way. So, even if we did want to find new friends or hang out with a new group of people, they’re never new. You’re affiliated with every single person in some way: “She was in my 5th grade homeroom class” or “We didn’t get along back in the 2nd grade.” Yes, people still remember that one time when so-and-so stole your juice box when we were eight. But not only does this deter you from making new friends, this also makes everybody believe that they have the right to judge everyone on what they do or say, since we’ve all “known each other for so long.”
The fear of getting judged makes you overthink your outfit choices, how you present yourself, and even worse, your personality. Middle school is where it all starts.
But, to put it bluntly: I enjoyed middle school up until I hit the 8th grade.
Why? Because when I was in the 5th and 6th grade, I was still a kid. And I know, I’m only 13 right now, I don’t have much space to speak- but really. I was only 9-11 years-old and to be honest, those are the last years I had before I hit the awkward ones. Once I was 12 years-old, I was in that weird space between child and teenager and people always seemed to be treating me as one or the other, and I found myself impatiently waiting for my 13th birthday to come.
I regret this immensely.
Instead of just letting myself be a kid for that last year, I tried to rush into being 13. I’m now turning 14 in less than four months and I’ve realized that being 13 years old hasn’t been the fantasy I once thought it would be. Instead, I experienced my first heartbreak (don’t ask), had truly felt stress for the first time, struggled to keep my grades up, worried about my future, dealt with horrible rumours being spread about me, lost many friends, started having rocky relationships with some loved ones, all the while trying to find myself. As much as these things seem unconcerning to many, it’s tough to deal with this kind of stuff at 13.
There was a point where I dreaded going to school and begged my parents to let me stay home. But, there was also a point where I decided to just face whatever I needed to at school. A point where I got stronger mentally, and didn’t need to avoid going there for a few people who thought that spreading untrue rumours about me and this one other person would be their form of entertainment.
I found that a quote that said:
That is what motivated me to finish off my Grade 7 and 8 years.
To conclude this post, I’m going to say a cliché thing that’s spoken too often, but is quite honestly one of the truest statements to exist. Things do get better. Everybody goes through hardships. It’s up to you how you’ll deal with them, and how you’ll get through them. If you’re going through something, speak to someone, because fake happiness is truly the worst sadness.
Go to school. No matter how two-faced people are, how hard the work is: school is important. Focus on what matters most. Your family, your friends, your academics. Don’t get distracted by things that won’t matter in the long run.
All in all, I garnered experiences in middle school, experiences that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else. I reckon these will stay with me my entire life.