We went to Chloe’s future middle school this evening for an orientation for incoming sixth graders and their families. I’ve written about how great I think her elementary school is, but I was blown away by what the middle school has to offer.
Want to take an elective rock climbing class? How about a seminar on the history of rock and roll? Or a class about thrill rides? Want to join an extracurricular reading club that offers members a chance to take a cool overnight trip? Not to mention the mandatory world language class in French, Spanish or Mandarin that you attend for a period every day? Interested in taking dance classes? No problem. Over 250 students take some level of dance class.
The options are mind-boggling. The school even has a planetarium for those who are REALLY interested in studying astronomy. Seriously, if I had even half of the options Chloe will have at her disposal when I was 12, I think I would have become a much different adult than the one I am now.
Chloe was so excited about what she heard tonight (the principal even gave us, her friend and her friend’s dad a quick private tour of some of the classrooms) that she’s going back tomorrow morning with her friend to see the classes in action.
She asked plenty of questions. My favorite was whether or not the school has a dress code (yes, they do, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary). This from my daughter, who less than one year ago, was still wearing jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers to school every single day. I suppose that’s what happens when your child grows 4 inches in one year and suddenly finds herself in the 75% for height and transforming from kid to almost-teenager in the blink of an eye.
Listen, I’ll take Chloe with all her craziness any day, as long as she continues to love learning as much as she does.
Oh, and I’m quitting my job tomorrow so that I can either (a) return to that junior high school as a student or (b) as a teacher.