In this project assignment, I will be sharing my experiences that I went through during my middle school days. Being the eldest and going through puberty was the hardest. Dealing with self-concept and even more, self-esteem through the response of family and friends can be a little discomforting. Also reflecting on what and how some factors helped me shape my academic skills during those moments. I will also be describing the type of crowds that I would hang out with, if there were labels for the cliques and if there was a rule in being part of the group.
My experience throughout puberty was challenging. The only reason was that I was the eldest of four kids. I had experienced everything on my own and followed the advice I got from my mom and friends. I had my period when I was a sixth grader on a school day and good thing that it happened during the evening. I will admit it; I was scared when that happened to me. Through my physical and maturation, I had my mom help me out because just like any other dad, he would tell me to ask my mom. I had friends that learned about puberty from what their older siblings experienced.
My mom had me well prepared for what was to come when puberty hit. I went from training bras to regular bras, and had my own razor. Having my family and the type of friends I had, my self-concept was high but lacked a bit of self-esteem. Although my mom was there to tell me I was beautiful, I did not believe her. However, I did believe her when she said I was a smart girl. Being smart and strong was my self-concept. Even through puberty, there were a couple of boys that had something to say about girl’s breast growth.
Listening to their conversation was making me compare myself to the other girls. There were parts of my body that I did not like at all. Most girls were fully developed from there chest and I was still waiting on mine. It seemed like forever to get my body to get rid of some the baby fat. My mind was not always focused on my appearance, there was school assignments and studying that kept me busy. I believe that my family had a huge impact on my academic skills. As I mentioned earlier, being the older sister I had to set an example.
My mom also informed me that if I were to go to college and finish school I would be the first in her side of the family. After graduating high school my aunts married and my uncles went to join the military. As for my cousins, they found it easier to work but some have tried to attempt going to college. My dad’s side of the family is small but I do have an uncle and a cousin that did finish college. The environment in my family and friends surrounded me was very positive and made me feel that I can achieve anything I put my mind too.
In high school, I had friends who helped me understand what scholarships were. My parents failed to inform me about how much it would help me out in the future. I had all types of friends in high school, from valedictorian, all athletes, band members, etc. They all had a different view from achieving their goals in life, which all their perspectives were really positive and affecting. Now in middle school it was a total different aspect. Most friends were just thinking about hanging out and some did not take school seriously.
As a sixth grader, there were rumors about a few eighth graders getting into drugs. It was shocking and scary to learn that classmates were getting into that type of situations. There was a moment when I was offered an ecstasy pill in the girls bathroom but I turned down that deal went on my way. I did not let that situation get in the way of my studies. My parents were very influential on my class work as well as my homework. They made sure that my siblings and I were at the dining table doing our homework. Going over our homework and double-checking it was my most memorable moment.
Hearing my parents say that I was done with my homework and had no mistakes was the highlight of the day. In middle school, I did not have a certain type of crowd or clique that I joined. I was just a regular kid hanging out with regular friends. Some of those friends I knew from my elementary school to new friends I met from my classes. In my 7th grade year, I remember a certain group of girls that called themselves The Looney Tunes. As I am thinking about, I find it funny. The only reason they called each other that was because they gave each other a nickname.
For example, there was la tweety, la taz, and other certain Looney tunes character. That is the only group I remember because some of those girls I knew from class. Sometimes I would hang out with boys because they always had something funny to say. They would joke around a lot and weren’t too caught on the gossip as the girls would. Some groups in middle school were considered to be gangs because their rule for acceptance was getting beat up. The same rule applied to the girls. Most of the initiating to the gang was after school at a certain spot.
Now in high school, it seemed that the groups or gangs had been separated. Most had joined an after school activity. So the only groups that were made was the type of sport you played, band, the four H club, automotive, etc. I don’t believe that there was any names or labels given to a group. I had joined the girls basketball team but I would hang out my classmates. I did not belong to a certain group, I was mostly a floater. I would go from group to group. There were not any rules for acceptance in a group, except that they have your friendship.
