The Girls' Guide to Conquering Middle School: "Do This, Not That" Advice Every Girl Needs

By Erica Catherman and Jonathan Catherman

The transition from elementary school to middle school skirts the borders of traumatic for many girls. Their bodies are changing, their moods are shifting, their friendships are tested, and boys can become a big distraction. Girls may begin to struggle with grades, behavior, and relationships with family and friends. How do they know what to do and what not to do in this new environment with new expectations?

Erica and Jonathan Catherman offer girls ages ten to twelve the practical help they need to make the move to middle school as painless as possible. The "do this, not that" format covers a hundred relevant topics and situations middle school girls will face, including the first day, bullies, test taking, cell phone use, homework, gossip, leadership, respect, sports, PDA, and many more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781493415052

Erica Catherman

Erica Catherman is the coauthor of The Girls' Guide to Conquering Life and The Girls' Guide to Conquering Middle School. In addition to managing the Catherman family, Erica is a certified yoga and fitness instructor, mentor, and coach.

Book preview

Books by Erica & Jonathan Catherman

The Girls’ Guide to Conquering Life

The Girls’ Guide to Conquering Middle School

Books by Jonathan Catherman

The Manual to Manhood

The Manual to Middle School

© 2018 by Erica and Jonathan Catherman

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-1505-2

The authors are represented by the literary agency of Books & Such.

Contents

Cover    1

Books by Erica & Jonathan Catherman    2

Title Page    3

Copyright Page    4

Introduction    7

1st Day    10

Absences    12

Announcements    14

Assemblies    16

Backpacks    18

Bathroom—Keep It Clean    20

Bathroom—No Loitering    22

Body Odor    24

Book Reports    26

Boy Friends    28

Bragging    30

Brush Your Teeth    32

Bus—Take Your Seat    34

Bus—Waste Not, Want Not    36

Car Riders    38

Cell Phone    40

Cheating    42

Clothing Style    44

Communication    46

Crying    48

Cyberbullies    50

Dances    52

Dating    54

Desks    56

Detention    58

Drama    60

Drinks    62

Elective Classes    64

Emotions    66

Face Wash    68

Farting    70

Fights    72

Fire Drills    74

Food    76

Foot Odor    78

Friends    80

Gaming    82

Get to Class on Time    84

Gossip    86

Grades    88

Grammar    90

Guy Friends    92

Hair    94

Hall Pass    96

Hallways    98

Hand Washing    100

Handwriting    102

Home Room    104

Homeroom    106

Homework    108

Leadership    110

Lockdowns    112

Locker Locks    114

Locker Rooms    116

Lockers    118

Lost and Found    120

Lunch    122

Lunch Line    124

Lying    126

Mean Girls    128

Media Center/Library    130

Money    132

Nail Trimming    134

Name on Your Paper    136

Online    138

Parents    140

PDA    142

Perfume    144

Physical Education    146

Pop Quizzes    148

Prepared for Class    150

Principal    152

Problem Solving    154

Puberty    156

Raise Your Hand    158

Reading for Fun    160

Reading for School    162

Report Cards    164

Respect Upperclassmen    166

School Pictures    168

Shaving    170

Showering    172

Siblings    174

Sick Days    176

Skipping School    178

Social Media    180

Sports    182

Stealing    184

Studying    186

Substitute Teachers    188

Swearing    190

Teachers    192

Testing    194

Texting    196

Track the Teacher    198

Trash    200

Voice Volume    202

Writing Papers    204

Yearbook    206

Zombies    208

Riddle Me This    211

Notes    219

About the Authors    220

Back Ads    221

Back Cover    224

Introduction

Middle school can be like a roller-coaster ride of emotions, friendships, and physical changes. The ups, downs, twists, and turns during this time of life can, at times, overwhelm your senses. Kind of like the odd sensation you get at an amusement park when a ride barrels down the track at Mach speeds into a massive blind drop, followed by two loops, and a stomach-churning corkscrew. Sometimes you feel like you’re about to lose your stomach and find yourself screaming uncontrollably. Guess what, girl? Those are totally normal feelings in middle school too. Whether you enjoy the thrill of the ride or absolutely hate the suspense, it’s best to embrace the changes and learn some new levels of self-control in order to make the most of the next few years. Who knows, you may actually have a pretty good time in middle school.

Jump from the craziness of an amusement park to the drama of a theater. A poorly performed drama can ruin some potential good times in middle school. The poet and author Maya Angelou once said that you may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. That’s some good advice for middle school too. Drama in middle school can be like tossing fuel onto a fire . . . it explodes. Making much to-do about nothing is the fuel that feeds the fire between people that can blow friendships apart. Try to extinguish the drama by thinking carefully about your actions and words. Here’s a good filter: Before you speak, text, or post on social media, THINK about what you are about to do or say.

Is it TRUE?

Is it HELPFUL?

Is it INSPIRING?

Is it NECESSARY?

Is it KIND?

This anti-drama filter has been around for years and works pretty well for anyone mature enough to THINK before they act.

We’re just getting started. This book is all about giving you lots of helpful hints and the kind of Do This, Not That advice every girl needs as she grows older. Basically, you want to succeed, and we want you to succeed in conquering middle school. For now, please accept this book as our gift to you because we believe in you. We hope what you read next will help you be and do your very best in middle school and beyond. Good luck, girl, and enjoy your middle school journey!

1st Day

Before you arrive for the first day of middle school, it’s best to know a little about what you’re stepping into. Here’s what you need to know about the first day. At least one-third of the students are new to the building, and they are feeling about the same as you. The older kids are excited to see their friends, so they won’t pay much attention to the newbies walking around. The building is bigger, halls are louder, and passing between classes can be like moving through a crazed herd of cats. The truth is, you might get lost once or twice on the first day of school. But don’t worry about it because you won’t be the only one. A right turn down the wrong hall can send anybody into the land of the lost. If you do find yourself wandering around, don’t freak out. Your best plan for getting back on track and heading the right direction is only three steps away.

STEP 1—Ask for directions. The worst thing you can do is keep standing there looking lost.

STEP 2—Get moving. The classroom isn’t coming to you, so don’t just stand there.

STEP 3—Don’t make excuses. When you do finally make it to class, just tell the teacher that you got lost. They’ll totally understand when you’re honest about a mistake.

Pop Quiz

Q: Where is the school gym?

A: You have no idea, so tape a school map on the inside cover of a master folder. When you get lost, just open the folder, read the map, and find your way to gym class.

Absences

According to experts in middle school attendance offices everywhere, there are three legit reasons to be absent from school:

Reason #1, Sick—An infection, affliction, or disorder that can be diagnosed. Symptoms include a high temperature, chunks hurling out of either end of your digestive system, broken bones, or another verifiable illness. NOT sick is when you are faking it.

Reason #2, Emergency—Situations requiring immediate action, like the passing of a family member, your home is damaged in a freak weather storm, or the zombie apocalypse. NOT an emergency is the death of your goldfish, boyfriend breakups, or your favorite jeans didn’t get washed due to a false call on that zombie apocalypse thing.

Reason #3, Professional intervention—When serious life or legal needs require outside professional or legal help. These may include, but are not limited to, counseling, court, or a doctor appointment. NOT an intervention includes doing time on the beach or a 10-hour therapy session with Dr. Shopping.

When you are absent for a day or two, return with a parent’s or doctor’s note with a legitimate explanation of your absence.

True OR False?

The school really doesn’t need to know why you were absent.

False. When you are absent for a day or two, return with a parent’s or doctor’s note with a legitimate explanation for your absence.

Announcements

Each morning a mystical voice from the great beyond will guide you into the school day. Actually, the voice will come from a squawking overhead speaker or live-screen broadcast from a studio