Middle-school/Junior high is the most brutal two or three years of school. Kids are are crazy with hormones and social pressures and often turn into ruthless and cruel jerks. I'm of the opinion that most traumas and insecurities of the average person's lives come from their middle-school years. If you ever have a mind to homeschool your kids, the middle-school years would be the time to do it.
I could not agree more. 7th and 8th grade were absolute hell for me. They were the worst years of my life, for all these reasons.
We homeschooled our kids into their teen years and when we moved to a very SMALL school district, we gave them the option to go to the local HS or not.
They chose the latter, but I swore I would not put them in public school before they got done with 8th grade. I would not inflict that on my kids.
By the time they got into high school, they knew how to very effectively deal with bullies and after my son dumped one in a snow bank and my daughter incapacitated one boy who would not leave her alone, NOBODY bothered them.
Also, one kid made an unfortunate comment about my daughter to her older brother (they are very close and not must in age. They have a wonderful relationship).
The kid was lucky to have survived it.
He told on my son to the coach who asked what was said. When my son told him, he told the other kid that he deserved what he got and was lucky it wasn't more.
There is still some sanity left in a few public schools.