About this item
A counselor and popular Washington Post contributor offers a new take on grades 6-8 as a distinct developmental phase--and the perfect time to set up kids to thrive.Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it's either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases. Based on her many years working in schools, professional counselor Phyllis Fagell sees these years instead as a critical stage that parents can't afford to ignore (and though "middle school" includes different grades in various regions, Fagell maintains that the ages make more of a difference than the setting) . Though the transition from childhood to adolescence can be tough for kids, this time of rapid physical, intellectual, moral, social, and emotional change is a unique opportunity to proactively build character and confidence. Fagell helps parents use the middle school years as a low-stakes training ground to teach kids the key skills they'll need to thrive now and in the future, including making good friend choices, negotiating conflict, regulating their own emotions, be their own advocates, and more. To answer parents' most common questions and struggles with middle school-aged children, Fagell combines her professional and personal expertise with stories and advice from prominent psychologists, doctors, parents, educators, school professionals, and middle schoolers themselves.
About the Author
Phyllis L. Fagell has been immersed in middle school for years as a psychotherapist, school counselor, writer, and parent of two teens and a tween. (For the record, that's two kids down, one to go. Her youngest child is about to start sixth grade!) If anything, Phyllis has come to believe that middle school shouldn't be a time to dread, but rather a key phase parents can capitalize on to impart critical skills. Phyllis also is a journalist who stays up-to-date on new breakthroughs in counseling, parenting & education, and she uses her unique perspective as both a writer and counselor to bring the latest research to life and give it practicality. She knows that with the right concrete, evidence-based strategies, parents can help kids emerge from middle school feeling positive about the experience and ready for the demands of high school and life.
