By Sally Wood (Middle Grades teacher)
When I first jumped into the discussion of whether we should extend to the middle grades, I was firmly in the “TCS should stop after fifth grade” camp. I headed into my work on the strategic planning leadership team feeling like I already had the answer to the question. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Through our work, I was able to visit schools without a high school that were excelling at eighth grade, and I spent some time thinking about my own time as a student at TCS. Reflecting on it, I came to the realization that the Middle Grades are a time of so much change (emotionally and physically), growth, and identity formation that comes with angst, joy, fights (with friends and parents), testing limits, and hormones. From there, I came to the conclusion that it makes no sense for TCS to stop right at the beginning of these years. We know our children well. Why would we turn them loose to face all of these trials at a new school? Eighth grade is a more natural place to end. Students are more prepared, more self-aware, and more secure in who they are as learners and people.
Fast forward two years: I find myself teaching in the Middle Grades with our first class of seventh graders. I am seeing all that we hoped for coming to fruition. Our seventh graders share a strong bond with each other and trust us. They have also welcomed the sixth graders into the mix. They are in a place that knows them and knows how to strike the right balance between nurture and accountability, comfort and challenge.
TCS Middle Grades students have leadership opportunities that are reserved for seniors in schools with high schools. During regular lunches with Nishant, Allen, and Morgan, they give their input on how the school runs. They feel heard and like they’ve made an impact. Without older students to take on leadership, our students step up and volunteer which affords them valuable experience before their K-12 peers. Overall, they are given opportunities without all of the other influences that can come with older students.
As a TCS parent as well, I am thrilled that my own children, Izzy (3rd grade) and Charlie (1st grade), will get to experience those turbulent years in a place that knows them, cares about them, and gives them valuable leadership experience even when they may be at their most prickly.
