BACK TO SCHOOL

Helping sixth-graders make the transition to middle school.

By: Paul Koepp
   As another school year begins and a fresh crop of sixth-grade students fills up the middle schools, teachers are getting ready to do everything they can to make a difficult transition easier.
   Part of that task was accomplished with an orientation program, Fantastic Voyage, which teachers and staff held on several dates in July and August to make the incoming classes feel at home in their new school.
   The half-day program included skits, scavenger hunts and question-and-answer sessions that taught the students the layout of the building and attempted to calm their fears about entering middle school.
   One of the biggest leaps for the kids, Crossroads North language arts and math teacher Alicia Fultz said Monday, is trading in their elementary school desks for lockers.
   "It’s a big deal for sixth-graders," she said. "How do I open the locker? Will I remember the combination? Will someone shove me in my locker?"
   Ms. Fultz said getting used to a big building after several years in a small, familiar school is also a tough step.
   "They’re very uneasy about finding their way through the school. Getting to class on time is also a big worry," she said. "They’re not used to moving by themselves. You don’t walk in lines anymore."
   At Crossroads South, sixth-grade teachers participating in the orientation program put on a skit in which they acted out all the worst fears of incoming students, only to show in the end that it was just a bad dream.
   Sandy Behn, a social studies teacher who took part, summed up some of those fears Tuesday: "Will my teachers be mean? Will I have any friends in my unit? Will I get stuffed into my locker?"
   Writing teacher Noreen O’Donnell said some of the students’ anxieties are more mundane, like how to navigate the cafeteria and how the food will taste. But she said the whole orientation exercise is aimed at building trust among the students, as well as between them and the teachers.
   "It’ll fall apart later if we don’t build it now," she said. "We want them to feel like a family, and families don’t beat up on each other."
   "The first couple weeks are pretty stressful," Ms. O’Donnell said. "But it’s mostly because of their own fears."
   Another important goal of the teachers is to make the transition easier for the students by making it as gradual as possible.
   Jason Bloom, a science teacher, said "the big goal is to make them feel safe and at home as quickly as possible. We don’t start actual academics for about a week. We try to ease them in."
   "They’re learning a whole new way of life, and they learn pretty quick," Ms. Behn said. "There are a lot of physical, emotional and maturity changes, and that’s huge when you’re 12."
   The teachers all said they enjoy teaching sixth grade, even though the students are at such a rambunctious age.
   "This is the age where they’re the most social. They’re finding their place among the pack and meeting friends, Ms. Behn said, adding that each year’s class has a unique character.
   "It’s like anticipating the unknown. Every class has its own dynamic," she said.
   Ms. O’Donnell said that she "can’t imagine teaching another age" and enjoys seeing her students develop over time.
   "When they come in, they’re still like fifth-graders, almost babies, and then they evolve over the year," she said.
   Mr. Bloom said the teachers try to help the students mature by integrating a character education program into instruction and activities, looking for "teaching moments" where the kids can work on making decisions and taking responsibility.
   "It’s built in throughout everything we do, directly and indirectly," he said.
   With just a week until classes begin, Ms. O’Donnell said the teachers are "just as stressed as the children."
   Mr. Bloom agreed, saying that "every year is another learning year" for the teachers.
   And all of the teachers said that despite some initial anxiety, the students adjust quickly to their new environments.
   "After two weeks, they’re pretty comfortable," Ms. Fultz said.