Real the struggle is. The transition  from elementary to middle school is hard. I am in 6th grade at PFMS,  and the transition from elementary to middle is definitely confusing.

Here is how an 8th grader felt about the transition: “The schedule change was very confusing, since there were no A and B days in elementary school, it was harder to get used to. Switching classes is much different because at PFE there were no bells, so your teacher told you when to switch.

Also we didn’t have to carry binders around all day. And at PFE you could just go to your backpack because you were in the same classroom for pretty much the whole day, but at PFMS you have to carry everything with you. And a side note:  in 7th and 8th grade you can’t go back to your locker before period 3. It was much more confusing when I actually had classes because on the tour, they zigzagged throughout the side hallways as well as the four main ones.

The counselors in elementary weren’t as interactive and there was less one-on-one interaction.

Lunch for me especially in 8th grade was definitely a big change from elementary school because our lunch starts way after it would have in all the years previous to 8th grade” (1:04).

Here is 7th grader Bella Curreri’s thoughts on the switch; “In elementary school we had two 5th grade teachers, one that taught reading and science and another one with social studies and math. And then in middle school we had A days and B days and a teacher for every subject. In elementary all of our classes were right next to each other, but now you may have to go all the way to the other end of the school for your next class. The building layout was hard to understand because there are a lots of turns. Lunch is very different because we just walked into the one lunch line and got food in elementary, but now there are 3 different lunch lines. The lunch room at PFMS is the same size as my elementary school.”

Here is how Sofia Cardenas-Miller (6th grader) feels, “I think that for like the schedule there is a lot of stuff packed in to it, and is hard to understand and is very different from the elementary schedule, and you don't have that much time to switch. There are a lot more opportunities and clubs where there weren’t as many in elementary. I think that the cafeteria is a lot better because there are so many options every day and you can buy juices and chips and ice cream and like customize your lunch, in elementary you ate what they made. Basically the first week you need your map or you will get lost between every period. As the school year progresses you will understand and not get lost.”

In response to the question “What was it like thinking that your child is now in 6th grade/Middle school?” the mom of a 6th grader said, “The transition to middle school is very exciting. I thought it was fun to help my child choose activities.”

In my opinion as a 6th grader, I think that the schedule is very confusing the way that they give it to you but once you understand the way they put it you will get the hang of it. I personally wrote each day of the 6 day cycle out so I could understand and just glance and know where to go. The building isn’t that confusing once you do it once or twice. The lunch situation is AMAZING! The fact that you have like 5, 6 choices is really nice.