Middle School Loser
I was a middle school loser.
Right before the 6th grade, my family moved from Brooklyn to Queens, NY. A whole new world, a big new school, and no friends. I was short, small, slow to physically develop, and was otherwise invisible. I noticed what the popular girls looked like: in the 90’s, they weren’t yet Asian; they looked like fully formed teenagers wearing the latest trends, with styled hair and make-up, hanging out with boys that also looked fully formed. I hid away in a group of younger Korean American kids. Good news was, the Koreans didn’t make fun of my ethnic Chinese home-cooked meals; instead they tried to steal bites like ravenous monsters — a sweet sign of belonging in an otherwise ostracizing world.
I shared this loser-dom with a Springwell Parent in a conversation about the launch of Springwell Middle School next Fall 2022.
“Weren’t we ALL losers in Middle School?” he responded.
He shared how everyone felt like a loser, even the popular kids. For him, middle school was a cultural wasteland that most teachers didn’t want to touch.
But what’s a stake in middle school? If we’re honest, this sense of insecurity and loser-dom can stick with us longer than we’d like to admit. Those first pangs of social un-belonging can reverberate throughout our lives, and creep into our social and work relationships in adulthood.
How can we help our middle schoolers navigate this awful and awesome time of growth, change, and development in more empowering ways?
This is the question the team is answering as we launch the Springwell Middle School in Fall 2022. That’s why we’ve designed the Compass Program, to support students in developing a sense of purpose, intention, agency, positive self-concept, critical reflection, and healthy peer dynamics. Instead of getting lost in a sea of confusion, Springwell Middle School students will have access to tools that will guide them to make healthy, empowered choices — navigation tools that will give them a foundation for life.
Interested in learning more? Join us for our Open House tomorrow at 10:30am.
See some of you tomorrow!
Gloria Chan
Springwell Founder and Head of School
