In the fall of this year, the class of 2016 made a big jump to the middle school from the lower school. Some of the sixth grade students were very anxious before they joined the middle school. They were worried about how difficult the classes were going to be, but some of the sixth grade students think that middle school is not as difficult as they had thought.

Eleanor Weber thinks that what makes middle school interesting is how complicated and challenging it is. She said, “The tests have gotten a bit more difficult, although the work is almost the same.”
Kristen Puff, who is a sixth grader, likes being called P Diddy by one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Bolman. She agrees with Eleanor that there isn’t a big difference from lower school to middle school although there is more freedom in middle school.

Jack Lambeth, a sixth grader, said, “There are a lot of differences between lower school and middle school, but I have to say the lockers and the teachers are most different.” Manson Tung thinks that there is more freedom and more rules in the middle school. “There are more consequences than [the school] calling your mommy,” said Manson.

Jack also thinks that there is a bigger homework load. “For all of the classes, my homework takes one to two hours,” said Jack. Kristen thinks there is a lot more homework and the classes are shorter. Homework at Puff’s house takes between half an hour and two hours. Eleanor’s homework schedule takes about a half an hour if she doesn’t work on it in advisory. Manson agrees with his classmates that there is more homework. “I am a really big procrastinator so it takes me four and a half hours…the teachers expect you to understand all of the subjects faster than in the lower school.”

Eleanor feels that the middle school electives will expose her to different subjects or skills. She also believes that they will help her find a career someday. For example, say someone signs up for drama and is not so sure they will like it. Once they actually start, they may start loving it and decide they want to become a professional actor or actress. Electives are very fun for Eleanor. Kristen Puff said, “I like electives because they give a break from learning actual subjects.” She also enjoys how different they are. Jack really enjoys electives because there usually isn’t homework in them. “Well, in my elective it is fun to build things,” said Jack. Jack is in the SEESAW elective this semester. Manson Tung said, “I like electives because you get a say in what you want to do.”

Having more than one teacher helps Eleanor study and do her homework. When she works she matches the lesson or homework to the teacher for that subject. The voice and the words of the teacher make it easy for Eleanor to focus. “I like to have a variety of teachers,” said Kristen Puff.

“The only problem with having so many teachers is that if you miss something, you have to go back to each teacher and catch up on the work you missed,” said Jack Lambeth.
Jack’s classmate, Manson, thinks that he doesn’t get to know all the teachers as well with so many teachers, but he thinks the teachers really get to know him.

Moving to different classes is one way Eleanor keeps from getting “numb” while sitting in class. When she moves around campus to different classes, Kristen gets to stretch and warm up her legs instead of being stuck in one classroom. Jack thinks that moving around the school to all the different classes is all right, but he doesn’t really like it because it gets tiring. “I dislike moving to different classes because it takes time to get to the classes and my books get heavy,” said Manson.

Gym is very convenient for Eleanor because changing keeps her from getting her a pretty outfit dirty or sweaty. Gym is a big part of middle school but Kristen feels as if she is rushing and wishes that she wouldn’t lose points if she is late for P.E. Jack likes gym, but he worries that if his locker doesn’t open, he will be late. “I don’t like changing for gym because I need time to change and it takes me a while to,” said Manson.

“My locker is like the ultimate cubby,” said Eleanor. “I love lockers,” said Kristen Puff. “It is nice to have one space where you don’t have to worry about people stealing your stuff,” she added. Jack also likes lockers because no one steals his things. “I’ve gotten my locker jammed a whole bunch, but I still like it,” said Jack. “It is nice to have my own space to put my stuff; the only problem is that the lockers get dirty very quickly,” said Manson.

Eleanor’s older sister, Sophia Weber, has told her all about the funny teachers and the relaxed experience of middle school. Manson’s older sister, Alecia, who is a senior in high school, mentioned to him that middle school is really cool, but that she loves high school even better. Alecia also told Manson about what great teachers Ms. LaMay and Mr. Bolman are.