Back to School: What the First Day of Middle School is Like

Many nervous students are trying to figure out what their first day of middle school is going to be like, from getting a class schedule, to switching teachers and classmates every hour, and going to gym class. There are a number of things that you can expect will happen on any student's first day of middle school.

First Day of Middle School: Many Introductions

The main thing to expect on the first day of middle school is a lot of introductions. Because each class is so short, by the time the teacher takes attendance, does introductions, and goes over what the class is going to be like, it is over already. Sometimes there will be some note-taking, but it is unlikely that there will be much academic work on the first day of middle school.

First Day of Middle School: Many Small Note Cards

A method that many teachers use to get to know their students better is to have them fill out note cards on the first day of class. Students will fill in their name, e-mail address, what their hobbies are, and what they are interested in learning about in that class during the year. This helps teachers because they can go through the stack of cards and match the faces to the names, and learn a little bit about each student.

First Day of Middle School: No Assigned Seats

It may be a shock when coming from having assigned seats in elementary school classrooms, but in middle school, many teachers do not have assigned seats in their classrooms. Some teachers will make seating charts based on where you choose to sit on the first day (or the second or third day), and a few will seat you alphabetically, but there is a good chance you will be able to sit wherever you want in middle school

First Day of Middle School: No Gym Class Activities

On the first day of middle school, it is highly unlikely that you will have to suit up and do activities in gym class. More likely is that you will get assigned to your teacher and learn a little bit about how the class will be run, what clothing and shoes you will need for class, and maybe get an assigned bin in the locker room where you can keep your gym clothes.

First Day of Middle School: Lots of New Faces

Even if you live in a small community with just one elementary school and one middle school, expect to see some new faces. Many parents planning a move will try to wait until a time when their child would be switching schools anyway, and it is also common for children who were home-schooled for elementary school to switch into public school at the beginning of middle school.

More likely, you live in a community with many elementary schools, but just one middle school. This means that you will be meeting many new people for the first time, because they were students who attended one of the other elementary schools in the area. Middle school is a great time to make new friends, in addition to continuing friendships from elementary school.