This post by Jennifer Flaten
After standing in three seemingly endless lines; one to pay for school, one to pick up a combination lock and one for pictures, my girls were officially 8th graders. 
Once pictures were taken,-I’m amazed that even with today’s technology, school pictures are still as bad as they were when I was in school-and choir dresses picked up the girls took out there schedules.
Their goal was to find their lockers, drop off a few essential items-meaning pictures, a locker sized disco ball and some pens- and find all of their classrooms. As 8th graders, the girls are now in the upper middle school, which is just for 8th and 9th graders. The school is, as you can imagine, huge.
With two wings that hold four “houses” of each grade, with a map firmly in hand, we trolled the corridors looking for each classroom. After a few twists and turns, I felt like we should leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find our way out. I know after the first few weeks the girls will be flying down the corridors, no map required.
The girls are equal parts excited and nervous. This is the first year they will have no classes together and their lockers are two corridors away from each other. They will only see each other at lunch.
It is going to make for an interesting year, I am sure.
What are your middle school or just plain school memories.
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
Try navigating crowded junior high school halls with a visual impairment. It was a dog eat dog world, even for the sighted. Thanks for the memories.
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It sounds so daunting at first, Jennifer, but they make their way. Kids are so amazingly resilient. It’s a taste of that more mature world that’s beckoning them.
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Your post brought back memories for me. Thanks
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I was so fortunate to be in small schools throughout my whole education. Still the girls sound like they are going to have a great time. Doris
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My grade school (grades 1-8) was a smallish building–just one hall with rooms each side. High school was much bigger, laid out in an H shape with some rooms with outdoor entrances on either end and a couple of separate trailers with additional classrooms. There was no middle school. So the switch to high school was the nerve wracking one.
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Oh Jennifer, this makes me remember my own children preparing to go back to school. I sewed most of their clothes, but we had a lot of fun picking out shoes, jeans and “extras.” I always took a “first day of school” picture and have given them to each of my children. Enjoy every minute with your kids – the memories are priceless! Thanks for sharing.
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I was looking at my daughter’s first day at kindergarten photo this week. Both chikdren stood tall and proud in the fancy clothes. By the end of the day my daughter had ripped every nit of lace from her dress. Hope your girls do well with the separation. Cher’ley
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My daughter is in 7th grade (our middle school is 6, 7, and 8th grades). Last year it went crazy well, this year she’s tired and not as excited. I hope it picks up. Good luck to you and your girls!
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