Our Wildwood, Winter 2018, Volume 42

m i d d l e s c h o o l f e a t u r e

by Steve Barrett, DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH

When students move from elementary to middle school, they go from being the oldest and most respected kids on campus to the youngest and often smallest residents on a campus that not only looks but also feels unfamiliar. Their academic and social lives can change considerably between 5th and 6th grade. They shift from the familiarity and safety of a single homeroom and teacher to the complexity of multiple classes and teachers—all while they navigate the physical, cognitive, and emotional changes of tweendom. Thankfully, Wildwood and its teachers—on both campuses—work to ensure that students’ academic and social-emotional experiences from elementary school transition to middle school as smoothly as possible. For close to 20 years, Becca Hedgepath and Sandi Crozier have shepherded nearly an entire generation of Wildwood students between 5th and 6th grades. Becca teaches humanities to 6th graders, and Sandi is her language arts counterpart in 5th. Sandi and Becca base their work with students on aligned best educational practices and the sound judgment that experienced teachers bring to . their craft. “Before they finish elementary school, our students know that in 6th grade, Becca will hold them to high standards,” Sandi says. “Our job throughout 5th grade is to broaden their skills and build their confidence to meet our standards and Becca’s, and all their middle school teachers’ expectations.” Sandi and her 5th grade colleagues—Mallory Konell, Monique Marshall, and Linda Gordon—foster what educational researchers call transition self-efficacy—. SELF-EFFICACY FOR THE SUCCESSFUL 6TH GRADER

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“The biggest challenge for me at the start of the year was my locker. It was on the top row, and I literally couldn’t reach the handle to open it. I told my advisor and got switched to one on the bottom.”

—NOE S., 6TH GRADE