When I went through school the elementary school was k through 6th grade. The middle school was 7th and 8th. The high school was 9 through 12. The school I teach in now has the 6th grade in the middle school. I can’t shake my image of the 6th grade class as being elementary school kids. My school also has an advisory program to help support and coddle the kids along throughout the school year. I have the privilege of being a 6th grade advisor and I hate every minute of it. I am a technology teacher and I feel my role as an advisory teacher is a huge waste of my talent.
I have found the maturity level of my 6th grade students to be far below what is needed to perform and be productive in the middle school environment. They can’t handle the reasonability of getting to class on time, using a locker or even brining the proper materials to class. These kids are just not capable of functioning well in the middle school.
Is 5th and 6th grade a gray area? When does the elementary school stop and the middle school start. If I was going to use New York state education department as a guide than elementary school does in-fact go until 6th grade. Elementary teacher certification covers grades k through 6. What do you think? Should 6th grade stay in the elementary school?
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ReplyDeleteI agree that 6th grade should stay at the elementary school and 7th and 8th at the middle school. I never understood why some adminstrators won't the students to grow-up so fast and push them into an enviroment were their maturity level is not at for the most part. Sure there are a few girls that might be ready for middle school in the 6th grade but most are not. I also don't understand why freshman are in some middle schools, how does this help them? When most high schools have better resources for them as far as joining clubs and some sports might have freshman players on the team. So now you send a lonely freshman up to the high school? Anyways, I would really like to see some hard facts on this issue of when middle school should start and end. Maybe some of our classmates that teach in middle schools can enlighten me to the pros and cons of this new system. Great topic.
I've been teaching 6th grade for 5 years now and they are considered middle school here in my current district. Aside from our 5th grade teachers never assigning homework, the kids don't have any trouble rotating to other classes or feeling shocked and overwhelmed. Some districts even start the rotation schedules down in 4th grade around here. They aren't considered middle school of course, but they are basically functioning the same with specialists teaching specialized areas. If anything, it releases a the giant burden on teachers, which then can provide more support to needy students than they would in a self-contained system. When I taught 7 subjects to one group of students, I felt overwhelmed. Now I teach 2 subjects to 4 groups of students and found it's much more manageable.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes down to the expectations of prior grades and teachers' preparation of their classes for the next level. It really depends on the facility in which you teach and how suitable it would be for a 6-8 middle school or a 7-8. Other factors to consider would be the size of classes, total population of student body, expertise of staff, and expectations of parents, teachers, and students in the transition from elementary school to middle school. I really think it can depend upon the location and demographics.
Have a good weekend.
Randy B.
I agree with Randy in that there are many variables to consider when judging whether or not a district should move 6th grade to the elementary school. It sounds like your feeder schools are not doing a good job getting students ready to take the next step. I don't know the reason why this happens, but it seems to me like there is some sort of disconnect as far as student expectations between elementary and middle schools.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal experience I have to say that it would be foolish to move 6th grade to my middle school. 7th graders have a hard enough time finding classrooms, remembering their locker combination and keeping organized enough to manage 6 classes. I think what elementary schools get so caught up in standards and test scores that they forget to prepare these kids socially for middle school and do not explain to them what to expect. I went to middle school 6th-8th grade and I have to say that I would have definitely benefited from another year of elementary because I was simply not ready for the increased responsibility.
cheers,
ct
When I was young, our elementary school went K-5, junior high (7-8), and high school (9-12). There was a seperate school for 6th graders. It was great. The year after I was there, it changed to 5th and 6th grades. It was started because of our schools were over populated. Students loved it. Today, our district went to the middle school concept. With a new school, each grade has a level. The top floor is for 8th grade, the middle is for 7th grade and the main level is for 6th grade (as well as music, gym, and other electives). The students are in houses. The students in each grade do not have much interaction with students of another grade. I do like this concept. They are being prepared for the changes that occur in high school (moving from class to class) but are still their own community. There is not a lot of being harrassed by older students (yes, there is still some, but I don't think as much as if they were all mixed together). Our high school has a 9th grade wing. It only has 9th graders for their core classes. They do mingle with the other grades for their elective classes. This concept is a way to help 9th grades adjust to life at the high school.
ReplyDeleteWell some kids HATE it when elementary schools have 6th grade kids like MEE for example! For one, all my other friends that moved have 6th grade in middle school and make fun of me. For two, shouldnt this kid stuff be over! Im in 5th grade close to summer and honestly now theyre trying to put 7th and 8th grade in our school too!! WHAT THE HECK! For some 5th graders it is very very very importat
ReplyDeletethat 6th is in middle shcool! Its liek freedom! New things, locker different teacher for each class etc.
Now I feel like im stuck in kiddy school forever... :( so just sayin I respect ur guys oppinion but um the kids have a feel in saying too.
Also another reason in books about middle school sixth grade is like an adventure! and elementry school ruins that..100%