In a K-12 school like ours, we have the privilege of watching our students grow and mature through every stage of their education. We welcome them anxious and teary-eyed on their first day of kindergarten, “clap them out” accomplished and teary-eyed on their last day of senior year, and in between, usher them awkward and somehow-still-teary-eyed from Grammar School to Upper School.
For many of our students, this transition from 6th to 7th grade–from Grammar School homerooms to Upper School houses–is quite daunting. They wonder how they will keep their schedules straight, find their lockers, avoid getting crushed during passing periods, navigate so many different teachers, and simply survive.
And while some amount of struggle is good for our students, as a K-12 school it’s important that we’re challenging our students in the right ways and equipping them to handle what’s next. As such, in 6th grade we remove self-contained desks and introduce lockers; we emphasize habits like notetaking, organization, and studying; we maintain science journals and practice the scientific method; we further the writing process taught so well in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and introduce the idea of a thesis statement; we learn to annotate texts and after much preparation have our very first seminar on The Count of Monte Cristo; we compete in phalanxes in our own Panathenaea; and, we work everyday to develop our students’ character so that they are ready for what lies ahead.
It really is so fitting that the last book we read in 6th grade literature is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. At the end of Bilbo’s adventure, Gandalf returns to Hobbiton with Bilbo and reflects on Bilbo’s character. Bilbo begins the story as a timid hobbit, who values his comfort; but, through the challenges he faces (initially with Gandalf’s help and ultimately on his own), Bilbo develops into quite the courageous hero. Yet, at the end of the story, Gandalf still observes, “You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.” Despite all of the growth that Bilbo has experienced, he is still “only a little fellow in a wide world”–he still has much to learn and do.
Similarly, our students have grown tremendously during their time in Grammar School and they are capable of much; but, as they enter Upper School, their journeys are not yet complete. We take them camping on Schole. We ceremoniously welcome them into their Upper School houses. And, from thence, we hope to send them forth, courageously but not brashly, remembering how much they have yet to learn.
What a privilege it is for a K-12 school like ours that we are able to journey with our students–celebrating their successes, correcting their mistakes, and cultivating their characters along the way.
From Mrs. Dombrowski, Grammar School Teacher at Golden View
