Transitioning to Middle School: A Six-word Memoir
As a sixth-grade teacher, my students are transitioning from elementary to middle school. I don’t usually know much about the students before we meet on the first day of school. I like to teach the six-word memoir to get to know students at the beginning of the school year. Students write about what they will miss the most about elementary school. They write about what excites them about middle school and what they are worried about.
The memoir that one student wrote broke my heart.
Six Powerful Words
The typical worries of a transitioning middle schooler are grades, homework, and not having recess. One memoir read, “I am worried about my reputation.” This student was right to be worried. He did have a reputation that followed him to middle school. His former teacher went out of her way to contact me from another school and let me know how much of a problem he was going to be.
Transitioning to a Middle School is a Fresh Start
When I arrived at school the next day, he ran across the playground to wish me a good morning. I told him I read his memoir and was certain he could remake his reputation.
I could see why former teachers had found him to be a bit of a handful, but I quickly learned to appreciate the motivation behind the behavior. He was just a kid who was REALLY excited about learning, so much so that he had to yell out ideas at the moment he had them. I loved his creativity and his enthusiasm.
A Little Encouragement
A couple of months into the school year, we are learning about early humans in History. Our current project is to make a report card for an early human. He jumps out of his seat excitedly, asking if he can make it on a rock. I have no idea how that is possible, but I say, “Sure, that would be awesome.” Every day that week, he told me about his project and how he had found the perfect rock. I hoped that he would turn something in on Friday. When the big day arrived, he presented me with this:
He impressed the class with his project, and they admired his great idea. You could almost see him swelling with pride. I asked him if I could keep it to display in my future classes. He was proud to be an inspiration for others to think creatively about projects.
Reputation make-over complete!
He ran for student council that year and became a leader in my class. Although he had trouble completing written assignments, he shined when working on group projects. He had a talent for public speaking. He was charismatic and entertaining, capturing and holding the attention of his audience. Receiving praise from his classmates for his energy and creativity, he began to see himself as someone with talent and the potential to influence others.
Choose Curiosity
From this student, I learned to look at my class list differently. I was no longer interested in deciding who my students would be based on their past mistakes, what part of town they lived in, or the warnings from former teachers. Instead, this boy taught me that it is far more important to discover which of my students most need someone to believe in them. Which of my students needs someone to see the amazing things they are capable of so they will see it too? Which of my students would like to remake their reputation?
Lessons Mentioned in this Post:
The student project that is featured in this post is “A Report Card for an Early Human.” The Six-word memoir is a writing strategy that I use instead of a reading log. I teach students to write about nonacademic topics early in the year before using the six-word memoir as a summarization technique for text. Click on the images below to get my lessons.
