8th Grade Registration

My girl jumped in the car for the ride home from school with paperwork in hand to register for her 8th Grade Classes for next year! I like to see my girl excited and appropriately nervous for this next adventure.

Unfortunately, there are too many "fun classes" and only the option for one elective per Semester (which only makes 2 for the entire year). Sigh. The art of picking and choosing.

While the buzz is to take the first opportunity for a Foreign Language (Spanish) offered as a two year class starting in 8th grade, and counts toward High School Credit, my girl is going against the trend. Never mind the fact that most kids are signing up for Spanish, and not every student will be assigned the class, my girl is just jumping ship completely and going with her gut regardless if she was guaranteed a spot or not in Spanish.

Having just come off of the Ballet Decision not too many weeks ago - I can see why my girl is leaning the way she is leaning. She wants to be carefree and fun, not always book-smart and academic. She has already been taking a High School credited Math class all year as a 7th grader (and getting amazing results), I am kinda liking her thinking of "Why do I have to do everything so fast paced?" You don't, Honey.

So - she is opting for a Semester of Drama (completely up her alley), and then a Semester of Skills For Life. As she puts it ... "Seriously, Mom, we both know that I am in desperate need of that class."  I love her humor. And she's right ... the general course description states management skills of food and nutrition, housing, clothing and finance.

My girl can only cook blue box Mac and Cheese, oatmeal, and an egg. Finance consists of her piggy bank, and clothing - well, she has that one covered at least. Learn to balance self, work, and school through leadership activities and projects designed to make learning relevant. I am sure "back in the day" this class was called Home Ec. It'll be good for her.

Electing those "fun" classes into her schedule will help balance out the social and academic pressure/stress/learning transition to the Jr High ~ where two Middle Schools combine to make an 8th grade class of at minimum 400 students. Not to mention adding some down time into her full academic core classes. She will have four years of High School to get in her Foreign Language credit - and more choices of different languages.

I've learned this year that she is wise on so many areas in choices - I am sure this will be another wise choice made by her.

My baby girl is growing up to 8th Grade!