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Teachers: 6th grade
I am working on my MAT and I start student teaching in about 2 weeks in a 6th grade class. My MAT program does two full quarters of student teaching and this is my second round. My first round was in 2nd grade, which I loved.
I am nervous for 6th grade because it is a HUGE change from 2nd 
.....and IMO 6th grade does not belong in elem school, but that's how it is in this particular district.
Anyway, basically I am just asking for anything you would like to share about 6th grade. What are some things you do that TOTALLY work great for them? Particular struggles? Anything I should prepare myself for? Really though, I'd like some things to add to my teacher "tool box" to help me survive 6th grade. Any awesome classroom management ideas? I realize different things work for different classes, but any ideas are always worth trying.
I don't technically start until the 19th, but tomorrow is the 1st day of school for the district and I am going in to observe those first few crucial days on my own time, so I get to meet my students tomorrow.
TIA!
Who knows, I may just end up loving the older grades. I am open to that idea.....although I do love primary.
Re: Teachers: 6th grade
I teach 5th grade and I LOVE it. I used to teach K.
One thing I do with my kids is use a whole class behavior management system. It works for all sorts of situations...I've done it as a self-contained teacher and as a departmentalized teacher.
Self-contained: 5 Star Class. We discuss how really nice hotels and restaurants are rated 5 stars. I tell them that is what we will use as our standard. If a 5-star hotel or restaurant begins to slip overall, they are downgraded to 4 stars, and so on. Each day, we start out as a 5 star class with 5 stars drawn on the board. Their goal is to keep the stars. If they (as a group) start to get loud, off-task, etc., I erase a star. Together we determine a class reward (I let them give suggestions...the reward can take up to 15 minutes and cost no more than $10 total, then we vote). They earn letters to spell the word by keeping stars. 5 stars = 2 letters. 3-4 stars = 1 letter. 1-2 stars = no letters. Lose the last star and we are DONE with "fun stuff" for the day and do silent, independent book work. It never gets to that point! It works REALLY well and sounds way more complicated that it actually is in practice.
Departmentalized: Same type of deal but I use a 3 letter word (LAB; I teach science) instead of 5 stars because I only have the kids for 80 minutes. I'm also more strict because we're crunched for time. LAB = 2 letters, LA = 1 letter, L = 0 letters, all of LAB erased = activity/investigation/experiment ends immediately and we do book work.
Really go into this with an open mind. I was very nervous and unsure of moving up to 5th but after a year in 5th, I told my admin that I was never going back and gave away all of my K stuff! This is my 6th year in 5th grade and I absolutely love it!
OUKatie, I love the 5 star idea! I am stealing that when I have a self-contained classroom again.
OP, have a great time in 6th grade! I am making the transition from elementary school to middle school this year and I am a little nervous as well. Like pp said, I think it's all about establishing professional relationship with the students. Sixth graders are trying to figure out who they are and it helps them to have adults that take an interest in their lives.
Last year, I volunteered in middle school with the drama club. I found that if I was honest with them, they listened to me better. And sometimes, I even brought in some of my elementary tricks (1..2..3... Eyes on me, etc.) with the disclaimer that I knew they weren't babies but it was what I knew. They thought it was funny, but it worked to get their attention.
I also switched from elementary school to middle school this year.
This was my first week with kids. I really enjoyed my 6th and 7th graders so far. I have found that you need to share your expectations up front and hold them to it. If you let them get away with things, they will take advantage of you. Some tried to test me early on, with smart mouths or questioning things, and I nipped it pretty quickly. I was not rude, but I was stern in my expectations.
I have found that the conversations with the older kids are more fun. Don't get me wrong, I love the younger kids, but the older ones are really interesting. they will be curious about you too, just like the younger kids. It is funny what they ask and try to get out of you.
Keep an open mind. This experience might surprise you. Good luck!