Welcome middle school students to your first days at Cedarbrook Middle School!! I have been teaching middle school for 12 years and I am very familiar with the difficulties that middle school students face in Seventh Grade. Finding your way from class to class, using your new locker, fitting in with new faces and teachers, getting organized and new expectations are the biggest problems that you will face. The good news is that everyone is in the same boat and all of your teachers know your fears!! The best advice that I can give to you is DO NOT WORRY and ASK FOR HELP!!! Most teachers teach because they love it and they love kids. Even better ALL the teachers at Cedarbrook love kids so you are in good hands. These are the things I suggest to help you be successful in your first days:
1.) Come prepared with binders, paper, pencils, pens, sharpeners, highlighters, calculators and places to keep these things.
2.) Make a connection. This means after your first day think about your teachers and who you felt comfortable with. This teacher can be your go to with any questions or concerns that you have.
3.) Speak up for yourself!! Make sure that you take it upon yourself to advocate (speak up) for yourself. This means that you will have to ask questions. This can be difficult for many of you so it is important to find that person you connect with and find a time you are comfortable with to talk. Email is also a great way to communicate with you teachers.
4.) Do your best to think about others. Teacher and students who know you are a good person make you easy to like and this will help with you fitting in. Some students like to do foolish things to fit in and this will work for you socially....but academically those who demand negative attention usually do not do well. This does not mean you can't show your personality and be funny, you just need to do it in the right time and setting.
5.) Get all of your paper work in. That means that you must get physicals for sports teams, dental papers signed, expectation sheets that teachers give signed, books covered and any other things that homeroom teachers and classroom teachers assign. Usually there is a lot of paper work given the first few days of school. Get a folder and put all of these things that need to be signed in it. If you don't have a folder put these things in the front of your DAB in the plastic section and then give it to your parent or guardian as soon as you get home.
If you follow these five tips I guarantee that you will have smooth transition to your middle school experience.
