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High school vs. Middle School: Which Experience Is More Widely Appreciated?

Pearla Johnson
EAT. A group of freshmen eat their lunch. These freshmen are adjusting to the new highschool experience which is quite different from middle school. Photo courtesy of Pearla Johnson.
EAT. A group of freshmen eat their lunch. These freshmen are adjusting to the new highschool experience which is quite different from middle school. Photo courtesy of Pearla Johnson.

Have you ever heard your parents talk about their middle school experience versus their high school experience? At least mine have a very strong opinion on each. You can hear high school being usually described as this coming of age period in life where you meet incredible people, find yourself, and make memories that will last a lifetime. While on the other hand, middle school is remembered as an awkward stage of growing up where emotions get the best of you, friendships make no sense, and it feels like you're drowning in a sea of schoolwork and stress. Middle school must have been very different for higher grades, because it was disrupted by quarantine, but this year’s freshman class came back from the pandemic and rushed straight into middle school. Here’s what they think about the transition from middle school to high school after their transition from elementary to middle school was interrupted by COVID- 19.

Many freshmen seem to be enjoying the high school experience much more than they enjoyed middle school.

“There are more activities and things to do. Like the football games and dances are better than the ones at middle school,” says freshman Julietta Polo Bunch, explaining how much more fun she has had in high school.

“I mean, I came to football games in middle school, but they are just more fun now that I’m in high school,”

Something that seems to change a lot between high school and middle school is the social dynamic amongst students.

“Especially since it’s a bigger school, I think people don’t care what you’re doing and nobody’s in your business,” states freshman Ellie Wollcott.

That’s not the only difference. Another thing that changes drastically are the grades. The minute you step foot in the halls of Vashon High School, every question you answer matters. Every essay you write and form you fill out.

“Even friends I had in middle school who didn’t care too much about their grades seem to care a lot more now,” Freshman Cash Requa says.

But, in order to keep grades high, every student needs some sort of support. If it's from teachers, parents, or even other students. Freshman Lillian Burke-Cobarr shares that she liked middle school better because of the way things were taught.

“Everything felt easier. Not class wise, I think just the way teachers taught it,” she explains.

The way classes are taught and support from teachers have a very great impact on education and learning. Feeling comfortable asking for help is not something commonly seen in middle school, but I've been noticing and experiencing it quite a bit in this first year of high school.

In conclusion, it seems like high school has been a more enjoyable experience for the majority of this year’s freshman class, but of course, not for all. Which one do you like better? High school or Middle school?

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