Q&A for How to Have a Great Year in Eighth Grade

Turn off your phone and notifications on your computer, and find a quiet part of your house or yard to do your homework so you don't get distracted. If something is bothering you and you can't focus because you're stressed, see if you can set that aside for now and come back to it later. If you can't, pause your homework for a bit and address what's causing you stress.

You kind of just have to wait until they are willing to tell you. Try to not be too focused on your crush and if it's meant to be, it'll happen.

You'll have to apologize. Don't try to make excuses for what you did. Just say you're sorry and let them be hurt and angry. Ask if there is anything you can do to make it up to them. You may just have to wait until they are not hurt anymore before things go back to normal.

Set a routine and stick with it! Try to organize binders for each class and keep track of your assignments. Then set aside time each day to study. If you need, ask a teacher for help with difficult material.

You could try to join a school club to meet some new people. Also, sometimes kids can tell when someone else really wants to fit in, and for some reason that backfires on them. Try focusing on being kind to others and doing well in school, and look for other people who are kind to spend time with (rather than the people who are really cool).

It depends! You should always be true to yourself, and if you are weird, you're weird! (Everyone is a little weird, honestly.) If you are happy with yourself and with your friends, then just stick with that. If you want to make more friends and put yourself out there a little more, you can do that, too. But don't change yourself too much. True friends will like you for who you are.

Plan events after school or on the weekends, and see if you can call them from your home phone in the evenings.

Be respectful and on time and do all of your assigned work. Try to not talk out of turn in class, and remember to bring your homework.

Stop focusing on him. Try focusing on spending time with your friends and doing well in school. If you are nonchalant and not obsessed with him, you will probably feel better, and it might turn out that he ends up liking you back.

It can be really hard to be lonely in middle school! If you have a good relationship with your parents or siblings, you can focus on having fun with them when you're not in school. When you're at school, try to focus on being a good student and being kind to people, even if they aren't kind to you. If you don't have friends outside of school, either, try joining some social groups or going to after school activities to meet new people. If you feel very lonely and depressed, talk to a trusted adult. They should be able to give you some additional tips on getting through middle school.

You can definitely make new friends even if you're shy! Try joining a few groups or starting a club based off of something you love. Then, when you meet people, try asking them questions about themselves and holding a conversation.

Then it might be time to start distancing yourself and make some new friends.

Maybe you could start a book club on your own. If the people are being mean, you don't really want to spend time with them. You could put up posters or post on social media about starting your own book club, open to all people.

You should probably just try to ignore them! Remember, you'll be out of there in 1 year.

Not really. If things escalate or are worse, make sure to tell someone at school or another trusted adult.

Try to find 1 or 2 good friends that you can spend time with in eighth grade. If you can't try to remember that this is just 1 year of school and a lot can change once you get to high school. You could also try joining some school groups to meet new people that way.

Unfortunately people do spread rumors. One of the best ways to deal with a rumor is to ignore it. Chances are, in a week or so, there will be something else that is important that people pay attention to. You could also approach the person who started the rumor to ask them why they did that and to explain that it made you angry or hurt your feelings.

Great question! If someone tries to involve you in drama, you can ignore them or tell them you don't want to be involved. If there is someone who is always trying to peer pressure you or bring you into drama, you may need to start distancing yourself from them. Look for friends who are kind and who don't talk badly about others.

It's not! It can be really hard to make friends and then have to move away from them, but you want to have a good time while you're there--plus, friendships can last even after you move away. You never know when you might meet a lifetime friend!

Even if you haven’t gotten straight As in middle school, you can still work to achieve that goal in high school! Make sure to take thorough notes during your classes, and set aside time to review them at least once a week, making sure to leave more time if there's going to be a test or quiz. You'll also want to start working on projects as early as possible after they're assigned, so you'll have enough time to ask your teacher any questions. It's also a good idea to eliminate all distractions when you're doing schoolwork, including your phone. If you have to, leave it outside of the room you're doing work in.