Wow, this is kind of sad. D:

[Kitten Medli]

I know, its ridiculous. I think I started cussing in 6th or 5th grade (I stopped about a year later however) and I wasn't even in public school, just the internet.. you'd think people could atleast contain themselves online pretty well since you can backspace and stuff.

I don't understand the trend with skimpy clothing (when you think about it, breasts are just tools to feed your baby, whats so attractive about letting them hang out and calling them "sexy"?) and cussing. Whats so cool about telling someone to go to Hell? Does the pure hatred make you any cooler than the rest of us?

[Trick]

I remember middle school being the exact same way when I was attending...and given I'm 24, that was quite some time ago. I remember thinking that the 6th graders were disgraceful when I was in 7th grade, and that surely my class didn't act like that. But it's all about perspectives. When you're the one doing something, you might think you're being funny or cool, but if you're an observer, it looks like the people involved are juvenile, mean, etc. Which, I'm not saying you were being mean or juvenile, but it's like that your cohorts were. Or that inside jokes you had with friends were construed as juvenile by the class above you as well.

I agree with all that In some ways younger people are getting worse but in many other ways they aren't. The problem with school is that you really get segregated from the other years/grades and are so wrapped up in your own year you don't see how other people are behaving. And of course some of us mature faster than others which can make it even worse. The older you get the more attention you pay and then the younger kids all look worse x) I know for sure I swore a lot more at school in the younger years than the older years and mostly because I never swore at home. It wasn't to do with being cool, just most people swear really and it ain't that big a deal. And stuff you think is funny/hilarious or perhaps not even worth noticing can be seen to older people as arrogant or rude. If everyone around you is acting the same you don't realise that other people will find your behaviour out of place if they are not used to it.

The fashion thing though I do think is getting worse and it's fairly easy to see why. I'm in my early twenties and when I think back to music videos when I was 12-14 they are so twee in comparison to what they get away with these days. I swear, when I have kids I'm gonna block all the music channels! xD One of my brothers is 12 and in his last year of primary school last year I couldn't believe what some of the girls were wearing - skirts shorter than anything I'd dare wear coupled with knee high boots :S I'm so glad I have brothers instead of sisters sometimes.

Sexy clothing is all very well and totally natural, I'm all for it... but not on 10 year olds :/ I didn't have to put up with fashion gossiping at school as our uniform was pretty strict. Yay for school uniform x)

But yeah, school is an odd place so just stick to what you like doing and ignore the rest who want to be sheep or rude. They'll grow up and look back on their school years and positively cringe while you'll know you were always strong enough to just be yourself it really is the best way to enjoy school - and the good news is that it generally gets better the older you get!

[Divine]

This is really interesting... I've been feeling the same way, actually. It really annoys be how a lot of people are wearing clothing that is not really too appropriate for school. A lot of them have boyfriends/girlfriends too... my sister's friend had a boyfriend at GRADE FOUR. I'm Grade Ten and I'm not dating yet =).

I also agree with the "nerd" thing. I'm a straight-A student as well and I get called a nerd a lot. Ah well, I don't really care.

[kanashimi]

hmm.. well I don't recall this in my school..

*flashback*

*flashback*

*more flashbacks*

oh my... It was that bad. But the horrors of 6th/7th grade don't stop there... It gets worse. I used to live in darwin, and people there were really bad too. Not as bad as such with the pushing, but the females (no sexism intentional). They all wore skimpy, ill fitting clothes. Now I know a person in year 9, and she is going out with a 18 year old. yes, it is terrible. And he at times sleeps ayt her house too. Her parents are too busy gloating on there amazing amounts of money, and her friends... wll I dont know if they care or anything.

I remember catching up with her a year ago, and she approached my brother (and It was really nice to see her again after so long) and said "Wow, It's nice to see you! Are you still younger than me!"...>.<

The school system in darwin is shocking. My two best friends go to highschool, and I get nervous that there education is going to go down the drain because of it. The girls still wear there skimpy clothes, and dont care a thing of how they look, or there education.

Now, thinking back. I am certain of a few people they will do drugs. I wish I could change it, but there is nothing I can do ...

[Amethyst]

Meh, my school is like that....I started swearing around 6th grade, and I still do today. I'm not rude, though, even though most other people are. You're on your own all the time, especially if you don't know many people closely.

[ArwenEarendil]

Since i'm only a sophomore, I can recall my Niddle School quite well. It wasn't as bad as other NYC schools (some of them are actually quite good), but when I was in 6th grade, I swore. It wasn't much, but it's sort of picked up. I've actually seen a girl who had gotten pregnant because her "boyfriend" said that he would spread lies about her if she didn't do the deed. In eigth grade, I realized how these 11 year old think that they are everything, wear clothes that look like they'll fall apart at any given moment, and think that they are 'mature'.

Au contraire.

They were the most immature brats i've ever seen. So some eigth graders and my history teacher more or less put them back in their place. :/ From what I hear from my teacher (who is now a dean), they more or less calmed everything down a year after I graduated. Whatever they are doing, it's working.

Honestly, tell your friends how you feel sometimes. If it doesn't work, and they become snotty brats, it's their decision. They don't know what they are missing out on, being in a friendship with you.

[labbiedor]

There was a rumor going around that someone at our school in 7th grade (last year) was pregnant. At first I didn't believe it, but my friend knew somebody that was in 7th grade last year and they said it was true and that they knew the girl that was pregnant. D: I mean, there's nothing wrong with having kids, but when you're 13, that's a bit extreme. It would be impossible to be able to take care of it and still go to school. Her mother probably had to take care of it (I bet she was thrilled about it).

I had church this morning, and I saw one of my 7th grade friends there (she was also at the dance), and she said she heard a 6th grader say that they wanted to wear a really short skirt with nothing under it and wear a thong so when they lean over the boys could see their butt. I nearly threw up when she said that. It was just WRONG. There were also 6th graders that stuffed their bras with tissues to...well, you get the point.

[Twinkle]

All Hail School Uniform.

[labbiedor]

All Hail School Uniform.

XD

I would hate to have to wear a uniform, though. I think my school just has to enforce the dress code a little more. What makes me upset is that some people can actually get away with wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and the teachers don't say anything, and if I walked in wearing one I would get lectured.

It's always the snotty girls that dress like that, though. In the school rules, it says if you are dressing inappropriately, you will have to wear your gym uniform (orange shirt and black shorts, sweaty and smelly, not very attractive XD), and I'm just waiting for the day that some popular snob has to walk around the whole day in her stinky gym shirt.

[everconfused]

Sitting here in my rocking chair, wrapped in a shawl thinking back to what is now called middle school - no we didn't have "middle" school where I lived and when I went to school.

Grade school was K-6, Junior High 7-9, Senior High 10-12

So technically, grade 6 was the top of the food chain for our grades. And yes, we had bullies, bad girls (mainly smoking and cussing) and clothes were, to a point, important. But not like they are today. It was more a clique thing -- wearing the right thing to be "in" - which I never was. I was a complete dork with my mother picking my polyester *shudder* outfits from the Sears catalog; and those darn plaid pleated skirts - not minis, down past my knees. I used to roll them up a little, so I always had a huge waist!

I can't even imagine trying to outfit a teen these days! Between the cost and what alot of the girls around here want to wear, honestly.

But, for our school, aside from the few bad eggs, we didn't have the kinds of things going on at grades 6 and 7 that seem to be happening now. No dating in 6th grade, that much I do clearly remember. We didn't even like boys (boys didn't like girls either).

7th grade - we were at the bottom of the pool, and were picked on - alot by the older kids. We accepted it as part of school life. Same with Senior High, the 10th graders took alot of flack.

Problems with things like drugs didn't start until Senior High, then you'd walk in the girls room between classes and they'd be doing drugs right there! Pregnancy, we only had one girl and they wouldn't let her come to graduation, it was such a scandal (1972).

13 IS too young, IMHO, to be wearing alot of the clothes I see, dating?! and I won't even get into how I feel about young girls having babies.

In general, being near 3 schools - 2 public, 1 Catholic, I have to say I find alot of the kids to be rude and thoughtless. I don't know when this happened, but things have definitely changed. Making fun of each other is bad enough, these kids stand on the corner or walk down the street and make fun of everyone else. Being disabled, I get alot of it, and have had kids deliberatly walk into me, kind of pushing, to try to knock me down. I don't know where the parents are or what they're teaching their children.

Thank goodness all of you are so wonderful! I wish you all lived near me, I'd adopt you all and be "auntie" to you

[Twinkle]

All Hail School Uniform.

XD

I would hate to have to wear a uniform, though. I think my school just has to enforce the dress code a little more. What makes me upset is that some people can actually get away with wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and the teachers don't say anything, and if I walked in wearing one I would get lectured.

Although you hate to wear school uniform, you do appreciate the fact that you're not judged by the clothes that you wear. If everyone dresses the same it can take away your individuality somewhat but there's a lot less nastiness over clothes and such.

[Paul]

Although you hate to wear school uniform, you do appreciate the fact that you're not judged by the clothes that you wear. If everyone dresses the same it can take away your individuality somewhat but there's a lot less nastiness over clothes and such.

Yeah, it also kills time because I don't have to decide what to wear.

[Crescendo]

Aw, let them make fools of themselves. It worked for me...somewhat. We most recently had some 9th grade dance, and the seniors introduced the freshmen to freaking. It's really fun. Heh.

[ria]

Although you hate to wear school uniform, you do appreciate the fact that you're not judged by the clothes that you wear. If everyone dresses the same it can take away your individuality somewhat but there's a lot less nastiness over clothes and such.

Yeah, it also kills time because I don't have to decide what to wear.

As much as I hate to admit it, it is rather handy to just wear a school uniform... (I've always been one of those people who despised the horrible things... our senior skirts are olive green and our shirts are lemon yellow *shudders* thank goodness I have two more years...)

But when I hear about all the horrible stuff going on in other schools, I really start to appreciate how great my school is. We don't have any people smoking or doing drugs (at least not many) and everyone's really friendly, including seniors...

[(*Dranzer*)]

The ultimate punishment for these freshmans who try to be punks to people older and more mature,smarter, stronger,etc than them: send them over to Japan.

According to many school-based anime school over there is like a child boot camp. I'd just LOVE to see them try to survive the first week.