Advice from an 8th Grade Parent to a 7th Grade Parent

Question: If you were to do things all over again, what would you do differently?

8th Grade Parent Perspectives:

Your child will change: Kids change A LOT in the early teens. Your 8th grader is NOT who they are going to be in HS. You don't know enough to find the perfect school for that kid, because you haven't met them yet. (And neither do/have they.) So don't get too hung up on one thing/interest/requirement. And think hard before you put a kid in a track that is going to be particularly prescriptive/difficult to change.

Stress Management is Key: Be attentive to how much stress you are experiencing around the process (natural given how nuts it is) and how much stress your kid is absorbing. It is A LOT to put 12 and 13-year-olds through during a time when they are already vulnerable due to puberty and post-Covid. The definition of anxiety is worrying about things that haven't happened yet - and the high school process is fraught with this BIG thing that hasn't happened yet (a new school). Protect them by speaking positively about the process, shielding them from how stressed you are, and at the same time letting them know it's okay to feel a little stressed and confused themselves. Don't let the madness of the process get in the way of being attentive to your child - who probably cares most about "will I have a friend there." Parent of three - just finished the application for my youngest!

Programs for Arts Students: Find out if there are Doe/School boot camps for the portfolio/audition schools before the summer of 8th grade. From what I have heard, people felt these programs were really beneficial in helping them prep for their portfolios/auditions

7th Grade Grades are Very Important: You’re off to a great start. My advice would be to take grade 7 seriously as those grades count for high school admissions and start researching high schools now. Don’t wait for 8th grade

The Process is Unavoidable: there’s not a great way to avoid the pressure aspect because it’s forced into a six week window. Just be reassured that our assessment of so many schools was “this would be a fine place to go to high school.” And there are a LOT of schools that fit that description, a lot of what seem to be solid HS communities, and even the people we know with bad luck in the lotto pull ended up with 12 schools I’d be happy to send my kid to. So it’s trying to find a best fit, knowing that your child will change a lot within the school as well, and being realistic about what you number affords you so you get one of the 12 schools on your list.