I like doing magic at school. However, I agree there is a time and place for everything but I think it's fair to say magic and studying can both be accomplished in a school setting. It sounds like you just need a new audience. 7th grade might be tough as the kids are still immature but even next year as an 8th grader, you could show the 7th graders your tricks. Having age helps a lot with crowd control but if you still want to show your tricks, I'd select a few of your friends that you can trust to behave and demo your tricks on them. After all, if you suck and blow it, they'll still like you anyway lol . Just my 2 cents.
~A.C.

Compton,
I just finished tenth grade and I am going on to eleventh. I can't tell you how familiar your story sounds to me. When I was in seventh grade I had been doing magic for about a year and found that a svengali deck routine was my favorite. However one time the deck was literally forced out of my hands mid-way through a routine. Needless to say, I was a little bit pissed off. Ever since the second time that that happened I have not performed gimmicked routines for anyone in school anymore. I have since then compiled a list of tricks, which I plan on typing up on an index card and putting in my wallet, that I know, from experience, work in a school setting. These are some of the tricks I perform on a regular basis:
*Crazy Man’s Handcuffs (my absolute favorite trick, try to find an explanation by Michael Ammar, he has analyzed and detailed this trick to the core, I usually combine it with superfast intertwisted, taught to me on the second video of Johnny Ace Palmer’s trilogy of magic videos)
*Ambitious Card (A routine I developed from what I learned on Daryl’s Ambitious Card Video. I strongly suggest that you don’t try the ultimate ambition ending at school, use the bent card instead)
*Recap Revisited (I learned this on Gregory Wilson’s On The Spot Video, I have stopped performing this for a while because I have started wearing glasses and need to work on the fluidity again)
*Graffiti (Taught on Jay Sankey’s Twenty-two blows to the head video, I use it every time I am introduced to someone as a magician)
*Michael Ammar’s Incredible Coins Across Routine (Very convenient, very deceptive)
*David Blaine Two Card Switch Thing (If someone can tell me what it is really called feel free to scold me, the one using only two double lifts where you place a card in between a spectators hands and rub another on top and they switch places. I use the two jokers instead of any duplicate cards, however, since they are not exactly the same, some timing control is required, as well as to keep them from pre-maturely opening their hands. The technique I use was taught on Johnny Ace Palmer’s trilogy of magic video when he teaches the sleight-of-hand scotch and soda. He says “Don’t let me get near it anymore” right when he places it in the spectator’s hand. When they hide it from you, they will hide it from themselves as well)
*Mis-made Bill Switch (The only gimmicked effect I carry constantly, I spent a year working on it and still only perform it for teachers and friends I can predict VERY WELL, again, try to learn it from Michael Ammar his analysis is deeper than any other I have seen before and put to the best use)

These are the staple tricks of my day to day magic. I work in others along the way. Some videos I recommend: Paul Gordon’s Powerful Impromptu Card Magic Video, Larry Andersons Jaw Droppers Video Tapes (a layman’s magic video set but I found it incredible helpful), Gregory Wilson’s On The Spot and Off the Cuff (two great videos if you take away the pickpocketing, I’m too scared to try it at school) and Dan Harlan’s Rubberband magic videos.

I hope these recommendations have helped. Let me tell you this: I have found that you can do magic in school and still do well in school, I know this because I do so.

Magically,
Joe Rees

I to am in 7th grade, and i do magic there because we have a school tv show and i do magic on it. They film it after school and play it during adv.

what is "adv"? lol

Stay away from them. Same problem that I had, I too am in 7th grade and people here will grab anything out of your hand. (I couldnt help noticing, but do you know a Morristown in Tenessee?)

Oh my bad, thats Advisement, like A mini Seminar exept its only 15 minuits long, My bad

ok, i gotcha. That's cool that they let you do that.
~a.C.

Yeah, the only bad part is the time.

When I was in 7th grade I used a simple gimmicked levitation to make pencils come to me and stuff. Needless to say my parents got a phone call from the teacher. Since then I still have done magic in school (my teachers this year don't mind it) but I stayed away from gimmicked tricks. I got myself a nice regular deck of cards and some DVDs, books, and insant downloads (btw, I got Renegade today and I highly recommend it!) and now magic in school is fun.

Also, about the school being a setting for learning... we are learning crowd control and how to perform in front of audiences, no? I think magic should be performed in school. Maybe we'll convert some kids and they become penguins!

i have my graduation party next year, and us (12th graders) r suppose to do a huge show of all of us, they asked me to do some magic coz i do lots of magic at school... i would probably do some magic there. this just shows u how much the school appriciates me and to what point i got in magic at school, some teachers asked me to perform for them, and u don't have the slieghtest idea how many gigs i get this way!

"If toes are being stepped on, get bigger shoes that way your toes aren't real close to my feet." - paddy

hahahahahahahahaha that was so funny when i read it.
well anyways yeah i used to do it inschool during lunch and i recomend stopping becuase then there are kids that go online find your tricks online like on yahoo and then they tell everyone or they end up learning it not knowing a thing about cards and ruin the trick infront of everybody becuase they cant handle cards. i stoped doing tricks becuase most kids in my grade, freshmn in highschool, dont care about magic they just want to figure it out. so i suggest stop doing it at school like i did

My advice is to get a 4½ od diamonds or some sort of other gag card and incorporate it into a trick. I take a card (the gag) out of the deck and put it on the table face down. I then force the 9 of diamonds and explain that the card i took out of the deck will be the same suit but half the value of their selection. Inevitably they will ask what would happen if they picked an odd card, to which i say that that shouldn't have heppened. When they reveal their card to be odd, I turn over the gag and they are left speechless.

That effect is the essense of magic because it is simple to do and highly entertaining. Everyone just loves to examine the gag card and practically forgets about the rest of the trick. I could have just shown them the card and not do a thing and they would still be impressed. All that for a quid - my best buy yet.

Karate is the best place for me to do magic, none of them at my school would do that (karate school)

Paddy last time I checked there was something called recess and lunch.

Education is important I agree with you, but its year 7 lol.

Now heres the best thing, and im been serious, if u wana get a good rep like i did, Don't show crowds always, I show indivual people differn't tricks and then they tell ppl and the word gets around, then u do tricks that are good in a group enviroment like colour monte.

Don't do tricks like 2 card monte because people will sometimes pay attention to your hands.

Also know when to stop, do like one and then say thats enough, people will wana see more

also practice. Make sure its imposiable for them to catch how to do it.

If someone says I know how to do it, I normally say Do you want a medal? No.. then shut the F*** up. and that usally works

It also comes with rev. coin magic as a bonus trick.