Transition Years

If you take a poll and ask adults to reflect back on their school years, many of those adults would say that middle school was the hardest part of their schooling. In my experience working with middle school students, this is the time where students are figuring out “who they are”. Many are not confident within themselves and are less accepting of those around them. In high school, you begin to see a major change as students are more comfortable with themselves and, therefore, are more accepting of others.

There is often a sort of disconnect between the curriculum and the way that students learn during the middle school years. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education report, students experience many changes in their bodies and brains during this time, and educators can better respond to student needs by understanding these changes. Simply having a more in-depth understanding of students and their academic, as well as social-emotional needs, can lead to increased student achievement, close learning gaps, and help students develop higher-level thinking skills.

It is important for students to develop good study habits during their middle school years. This can be beneficial to students in high school and beyond. Many times this is difficult for your gifted learners because most academic things come naturally to them, so in their elementary years, many times they don’t need to study much to earn good grades. As the content gets harder, and studying becomes unavoidable, students need to learn the study habits that will best suit their needs.

Middle school is the time in a child’s life that is so important in developing an appreciation for learning and to value education in general. This can be the turning point for many students in either a positive or negative direction. Instilling the notion of being a lifelong learner is important at every stage of education, but even more so during the middle school years. They say that hindsight is always 20/20, and when many look back, they wish they had taken a different approach to their schooling in the middle school years.

Social-Emotional Development

Middle school is a crucial time for students’ social-emotional development. As students are developing an understanding of oneself, it is hard to understand others. Students need positive interactions with adults in their “school lives”. Many students do not understand where they fit in society. Even at something as simple as a family party, children this age find themselves in the middle. They do not know whether to play with the children or hang around the adults.

During middle school, most students experience a disconnect between themselves and their parents. They look to other adults as role models, and their friends and peers are a top tier of importance in their lives. Students surrounding themselves with others that make good choices is important during this developmental stage, as the choices of others can greatly affect the choices each individual makes.

Social media plays an integral role influencing our youth of today. So many middle school aged students have idolized various Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat influencers. When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, many reply with some sort of social media influencer. This is the first era of children growing up with these types of influences, and it is imperative that we understand the various types of pressure students feel to live up to a certain standard set forth by social media.

Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, it has become more apparent than ever that we need to focus on students and their social-emotional development. Most recently, I have taken on the role as the administrator for my school district’s Summer Enrichment Program. There are various academic aspects to this program, but students look forward to the social-emotional learning component, and the counselors are constantly running over the time period allotted because students are really opening up and discussing their feelings. The middle school students have responded especially well to social-emotional piece, as for many it has been lacking for the past year and a half.

Preparation for the Future

Preparing these students for the future beyond middle school is so important. Class meetings are an excellent way to dive into social-emotional components of learning, as well as to prepare students for meetings in the career world. Class meetings also create a safe space in the classroom where students can voice their worries and concerns.

This is a time in the students’ lives where they are trying to find their identity and teachers, as well as school counselors, can play an important role in this. Although rebellion frequently happens during this life stage, this is also where students find out who they are and different values and ideals that are important to them.

It is certainly not easy to grow up in this day and age, but with proper guidance and support, these students can overcome the challenges presented to them and become well-rounded people. Sumit Saroha stated, “It doesn’t matter what others are doing, it matters what you are doing”. There couldn’t be more truth to this, and it is up to the educators in the world to help the middle school students understand this and apply it to their own lives.

*Updated August 2021

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What is a Transition Year?

When students move through certain educational benchmarks, like one grade to the other, or one school building to another, these are identified as transition years. The most notable years include moving from a daycare or child development type center to Pre-K, 4-year old kindergarten, or 5-year old kindergarten.

The next major transition year is moving from elementary school (typically end of fifth grade) to a middle or junior high school, grades 6-8. This time period reflects great change in a young person’s life, and many educators will tell you that the middle grades are often the hardest to teach, due to the tremendous amount of change that students experience.

The final major transition includes the move from middle or junior high to high school. This move is one that students look forward to the most, with the hope of more freedom and ability to choose classes and create a track for their post-secondary plans.

Teaching Strategies for Transition Years

For high school administrators, the transition for students from their eighth grade year to ninth grade year is extremely important. Over the last several years, initiatives and strategies have been put in place to help ensure that incoming freshman students are as prepared as they can be for their first day of high school. This level of preparedness sets the tone for their years as a high school student.

The most important strategy for a successful transition is getting to know the students. For high school administrators, this means intentionally scheduling time with middle or junior high school students and establishing a support system and structure of trust.

One way to do this is by scheduling specific events for rising freshmen students and their parents/guardians. For students, many schools host in-person events such as Rising 9th Grade Day, where students come to the high school campus and visit classrooms, eat lunch, take tours, and get an idea of the daily life of a high school student. This strategy allows students to see and feel what it is like in high school and provides motivation for students to continue to work hard in their current classes.

Conversely, for parents of rising ninth grade students, hosting evening events specifically targeted to parents can help ease any fears or answer any questions they may have about their child transitioning into high school. These events allow for parents to connect with key staff members, teachers, and administrators that will help facilitate their child’s education over the course of their high school career.

These type events also allow for parents to express any concerns they may have or clear up any questions. Personally, as a high school administrator, we have had great success in hosting these informational nights, as it allows us the opportunity to connect and plug-in with our upcoming students and parents, eliminating first day frustrations or new school challenges.

Secondary to in-person events is the utilization of technology to specifically target students in transition years. This practice has become increasingly commonplace, particularly with the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the safety protocols, precautions, and guidelines being followed during the pandemic.

With technology, schools can create areas for students during their transition years, such as specific websites or other tools such as Google Classroom, where students and parents can join and see information pertinent to them. Additionally, social media tools can be used to share out information and increase parent engagement and support, and oftentimes reach a bigger audience.

Finally, the implementation of one specific event has proven to be extremely beneficial for my school, and could help others. Several years ago, after identifying a need for targeted, intentional support for rising ninth graders and their families, we created ‘Mission Transition,’ a one-day, all-inclusive event held on the eve of the first day of school.

This event encompasses a one-stop shop for students and their families. Students are able to check-in and receive their class schedule and go on tours provided by current students to understand the building layout of where their classes will be located. During this tour time, new students are able to connect with current students and typically feel more comfortable asking questions as peer to peer than in a more formal setting.

While students are taking advantage of that, families are guided by school administration on a tour of campus, hitting the highlights that parents are most concerned about. This often includes drop-off and dismissal procedures and other logistical questions that parents may have. We often forget that parents and family members are just as nervous during this transition time as their student is.

Additionally, during ‘Mission Transition,’ student groups and teacher leaders are available to answer any questions and also showcase clubs, groups, sports teams, and other activities students can begin to be involved in immediately. This further helps students plug-in to their high school career. Additionally, this all-day event has three specific time periods to accommodate the various schedules of both student and working parents/family members.

Transitional years in education are extremely important for both student and parent alike. The change in grade levels or school buildings represent important time periods in a student’s life, and our goal as educators is to make sure these transitions are handled as smoothly as possible, with student success being our ultimate goal. Transitions are critically important and even more so with the current global pandemic, which has caused even more concern for transition as students experienced a disruption in normal school activity during the 2020-21 school year.

*Updated March 2021

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