They worry about...

• Making friends
• Getting good grades
• Being competent at and participating in extracurricular activities

They fear...

• Getting lost and dealing with their lockers
• Dealing with a difficult workload
• Getting picked on by older students
• Fitting in
• The degree of academic difficulty
• The increased demands from teachers and receiving help from those teachers

They general find out that...

• They find their way around the building within a few days and rarely get lost
• They have greater opportunities to participate and explore than in elementary school
• They make new friends easily
• They work is harder than elementary school
• Over time, they find themselves as successful as they were in elementary school
• Teachers are more strict but are also supportive and offer help
• There is more homework, but teachers on teams communicate to ease the burden on students each night
• There are different consequences for misbehavior but there are support structures in place to help resolve conflicts and get help (guidance counselors, etc.)
• Older students are more concerned with their own education and activities to be of concern to 6th graders. They are also housed in another wing of Stetson and have a different schedule.
• All students find out that Stetson is a great place to be!

Research shows that...

• Students who were successful in elementary school are equally successful in middle school
• Students who have a record of academic success are a bit anxious at the start of middle school and rebound quickly from negative transition effects