Have you heard horror stories about junior high school? While some of those stories might be exaggerated, unfortunately, too many of them might be true. You might be wishing for the years when your child was in elementary school and life was less complicated, right? However, you have also faced the fact that your child needs a good education and that you will do anything you can to make it a quality one. 

From selecting a Catholic junior high school for your child to adding extra curricular activities to his or her life, here are some ideas that might help you.

Catholic Junior High School - Are you a practicing Catholic? If so, maybe you have always known that your child would attend both Catholic junior high and Catholic high school. Maybe you are not a Catholic, but you have heard that Catholic schools are really good. In addition, it is often the case that private Catholic schools have lower tuitions than other private schools. Check out several in your area to see if the tuition fits your budget.

At a Catholic junior high school, you'll probably find that classes are smaller than the ones in public school. That obviously means that your child will receive more individual attention. There's more to Catholic junior high than affordable tuition and smaller classes, though. You child will be expected to follow an honor code. He or she might be surprised that it is proper to stand up when an instructor enters the classroom.

It is likely that no fowl language and no inappropriate clothes will be tolerated at a Catholic junior high school. In fact, your child may need to wear a uniform. 

Add Extra Curricular Experiences - While excellence in learning might be focused at the Catholic junior high your child attends, it is also very likely that there will be a variety of extra curricular activities in which he or she can participate. For example, there might be a Spanish club, a chess club, a debate team, and service clubs. 

Does your child love music? If so, he or she will probably be able to choose choir as one of his or her classes. It might be that he or she can even take private lessons in instruments like violin, piano or guitar. If your child's junior high school is an all-boy or an all-girl school, it is also likely that activities with another Catholic school that has members of the opposite sex will be offered.