Welcome to middle school

They've gone from being big fish in little ponds to little fish in big ponds.

"My dad was telling me that’s how it was going to be," said Kellen Powell, a new sixth grader at Lakes Middle School.

“I thought it was going to be really confusing going to each class, but honestly, I like it more than elementary," he said. "It’s more entertaining than just staying in one class all day. I like all the varieties of subjects and exploratory."

He said he's enjoyed traveling from class to class every hour.

"It’s way more fun," he said.

North Idaho's 11- and 12-year-olds are learning the ropes as they find their way around their first few weeks as middle schoolers.

“It’s actually going really well,” said Cassie Estabrooks, also a new Lakes sixth grader.

She said she heard rumors that sixth graders would be teased by seventh and eighth graders, but her big brother, a former Lakes sixth grader, put her mind at ease.

“People said I was going to be called a ‘sixlet,’ but that hasn’t happened yet, fortunately,” she said.

She was a little stressed and worried on her first day because she didn't know where all her classes were.

"Luckily, some people helped me out, seventh graders and other sixth graders who figured it out," she said.

Leveling up

Upon entering middle school, students shed their elementary school personas and begin to discover more about the world around them. They are required to be more responsible, more independent and more organized.

"It is amazing to watch the growth of a sixth grader," said Post Falls Middle School English language arts teacher Jessica Hammond, a 1994 Post Falls High School graduate and 23-year education veteran who is starting her 13th year teaching sixth grade.

"They start the school year nervous and excited about the changes they are getting ready to face as they enter a large middle school," she said. "They end the school year growing so much, both physically and academically. They are always ready to offer words of wisdom to incoming sixth graders."

She said these students are making huge leaps into the next chapter of their learning careers.

"They are often eager to take this step, but their nerves are evident on the first day," Hammond said. "They are frantically asking for help to find where they are supposed to go and for advice about how to open their locker. By the second day, much of the anxiety recedes. They are able to open lockers and know what to expect as they move throughout their day by the end of the first week. It is amazing to watch them begin to help each other and support those who need more help."

Lakes sixth grade social studies teacher Kristin Odenthal said sixth graders experience more freedom than when they were fifth graders.

"They’re having to do this on their own. We’re not walking them to the next class," she said. "That’s an adjustment for them, for sure."

Odenthal, a 1992 Coeur d'Alene High School graduate, is in her 20th year of teaching, 13 of which she has spent at Lakes.

That sense of independence and responsibility is encouraged in sixth graders, even though it can be challenging.

"We’ll give them grace, but that’s growth,” she said. “It's a time to make mistakes and grow from them."

Everyone is in the same spot figuring things out, she said. It's also when students learn to engage more with one another rather than relying on teachers all the time.

“It’s a time where they are becoming more open-minded as kiddos, just learning about others that are from different schools or from different cultures or have different family lives, upbringings," she said. "There’s that growth in that understanding of differences."

Social studies teacher Sydney Smyly, who went to Lakes, has spent her entire nine-year teaching career as a sixth grade teacher there.

"My heart just goes out to these sixth graders," Smyly said. "The first couple days you just can feel the weight of the anxieties of being in a new school. You also feel it with the parents, too. You can tell on the open house night it’s a big transition for not only the sixth graders, but the parents as well."

Sixth graders experience anxiety and uncertainty as they enter this new chapter in their lives.

“They’re nervous," Smyly said. "They’re used to being the oldest in the school and now they’re back to being the youngest and interacting with older kids."

But, even in the first week, seeds of new friendships are planted and begin to sprout.

"It’s several elementary schools blending," she said. "They’re exposed to new people, which is neat."

Rising to the challenges

This wave of sixth graders was in second grade when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Smyly said schools will continue to see its impacts, especially from the social aspect.

"Engaging with each other, discourse, trying to get a lot of that in," she said. "Just to get them talking to one another. They are in a device-heavy culture where screen time is inevitable a lot of the times. Getting them interacting and getting comfortable with talking to one another is something that I think is really important."

The first week of school, she reads “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” to her students. It's a story about friendship, kindness and being true to oneself.

“It gives the kids — and adults, anyone who’s reading it — permission to be who they are, to stay true to themselves," Smyly said. "It talks about the influences around you. In middle school, they are exposed to new things, they’re going to be challenged in their character, they’re going to be exposed to a lot. Just reminding them it’s OK to struggle, asking for help is a brave thing to do. That’s never a sign of weakness. And just being kind to everyone is really going to make things a lot easier."

She said it's important to remember everyone learns at different speeds, and middle school is just a weird time.

“It’s awkward, transitioning biologically, emotionally, you’re finding out who you are,” she said. "Just having those conversations and giving them an opportunity to express how they’re feeling, relate with others, or just listen."

Even teachers were once middle schoolers

Smyly said she remembers how her sixth grade teacher, Carl Couser, made an impact on her life.

"He taught me chess and he introduced me to the Beatles, two things I have carried on throughout my entire career," she said. "We did not have phones or computers, so there was a lot of interaction and creativity in terms of just seeing how kids play. I feel like that’s a really big difference from when I was a sixth grader, but kids are kids, and there are still a lot of similarities.”

Odenthal was a Dalton Elementary Dragon in sixth grade, the final year sixth graders were at the elementary level. Shoulder pads and Madonna were in fashion when she entered middle school.

"I was nervous but excited because of all the people from different schools,” Odenthal said. “I was excited because I was a student that loved school. I was looking forward to wearing my new outfit."

Hammond also attended sixth grade in elementary school.

"We were the top dogs in the school," she said. "I remember little about details from that time, but I do remember when we got a few Apple computers in our library. We were able to spend time playing 'Oregon Trail' on those computers. These days, computers are in every student's hands, and they utilize them for actual learning."

Hammond said she loved Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Wham! when she started her middle school journey in the mid-'80s. Her hair was permed and banana clips were popular, as were Guess jeans and leg warmers.

"Luckily, now, we dress up in the '80s style frequently for spirit days," she said. "I see all the same fashions emerge as students are walking down the hallways."

Support for sixth graders

In this new academic adventure, Smyly said it's important for parents to know their students are cared for.

"It is promised that we will do everything in our power to ensure your child learns and has a really great middle school experience," she said. "They will be seen and known for who they are — not just as a learner, but as a person. We are a team; I want parents to know that. This is a collaboration."

Middle school is a blank slate, a fresh start, she said.

"The staff in this building, every single teacher genuinely cares for your kid, individually, as a human," Smyly said.

Hammond said she wants to remind students they are capable.

"They are ready and they have so many opportunities open to them in middle school," she said. "I would encourage families to keep supporting their children while encouraging independence. This is a time for students to really take ownership of their own learning and develop habits that will help them be successful in middle school, high school and beyond."