How to Make the Most of Your 6th-Grade Year

By Mazu Rakhsha 

As the first day of school melts into the first few weeks and months and approaches the end of the semester, it may seem that your first year has either begun to dissipate into thin air or rests an overwhelming mass of new opportunities, academic pressures, and social connections, still left barely untouched. 6th grade presents a new environment that takes time and effort to adapt to, but it is the primer for the rest of your middle school career and–once embraced–is much more fun than it is intimidating. Here is how to soak up the most your first year of middle school has to offer:

Your 6th grade year is the best time to broaden your horizons and make new friends. While you may have already developed a close-knit group of friends in your elementary years, 6th grade poses a new opportunity to interact with children from other schools and almost forces you to broaden your horizons, with seven different class periods and different peers in each one. It will be a great comfort to have others to rely on as you transition from elementary to middle, and it will also make learning much more engaging if you have other like-minded individuals to share it within each class. After all, study buddies are essential for keeping yourself accountable and turning studying from mundane to enjoyable.

In terms of academics, you will want to settle into your learning style and adopt strong habits that reduce the stress and bewilderment you will experience in the future. Studying is open-ended–there is no one way to learn best–but it is essential to recognize that most lessons are foundational and will be built upon in the future. Considering this, you should work to achieve a long-term understanding of your material through consistency and concept absorption over memorization. If this is done, you will have a much easier time progressing academically.

It is also a good idea to get to know your teachers. The seven-period schedule is characteristic of middle school, meaning you will have seven different teachers with different personalities and expectations. Do your best to pay attention to their traits and class structures to avoid confusion later on–the more effectively you can adapt, the more smoothly your classes will go as the year progresses. For example, you could implement this tip by taking extra precautions to ensure your computer is charged if you have a first period with lots of digital work or reading a book rather than doing other classwork if you are in English, which is your teacher’s preference. More specifically, you might want to pay attention to minor differences in expectation, such as one teacher being okay with you approaching them for individual questions as you work. In contrast, another would always prefer your hand raised at your desk. 

All in all, as long as you spend your time wisely and genuinely try to learn, 6th grade will likely be manageable. Aside from succeeding in the present moment, what lies at the core of this year is an opportunity to identify your student identity and study habits with plenty of time to grow and moderately low academic stakes.