The transition: Year 6 students get ready for secondary
By Savannah Lo and Charisse Chan
Year 6 has come to an end, and Year 6 students are now preparing to enter secondary school.
We asked Rachel Morgan, a Year 6 teacher, how she feels about the transition between Year 6 and Year 7 and her thoughts on the possible challenges students may face. Morgan expressed that the journey through Year 6 was memorable and it was bittersweet to watch students leave primary. “I feel really excited because I know that we are prepared, but I also feel sad because we’ve made so many memories even though we’ve been on and off Zoom,” she remarked. She said that she truly thinks she has been able to fully prepare students to embark on their new journey: “I absolutely think that they are prepared for secondary education.”
Character strengths were largely exemplified throughout the Year 6 journey as it can help students better improve their work. “I think all of the character strengths are really important but I’d say the most prominent ones would be love of learning, teamwork and curiosity,” noted Morgan. She also expressed that although students are already prepared, they should still keep in mind some organisation tips: “I guess making sure that you are focusing and paying attention during class, keeping an online or bullet diary off lessons, and asking people if you need help with anything.”
Once again, Morgan expressed that it was extremely sad and bittersweet to see her class go, saying that “I don’t have any concerns about Year 6 going to Year 7, my only concern is that I will be sad that my class is gone and they won’t visit me.” She also expressed her view on adjusting to different year groups, stating “I think it always takes a little time to get used to different year groups. Year 6 will get better at telling the time and also managing your work, and you will need to develop lots of muscles to walk up and down the stairs and to carry your bags around.”
In a survey sent out to students in 6RM about worries, likes and dislikes, views on homework and different subjects, and what they thought about going back to school full day in secondary school, contrasting opinions were shown.
Many students showed that they were genuinely excited for secondary school. For example, Arthelais Yu felt “very excited that [they] have more subjects in secondary which [they] didn't get to learn in primary.” Hailey Chung expressed similar thoughts: “things I like so far about secondary school are the different classrooms and transferring every session, because it's very fun.” Another anonymous student noted that “something I like about secondary school is that you get to bring your phone to school.”
Some also feel quite relaxed about going to secondary school. Karis Lee claimed that “the homework at RCHK is nothing compared to what I had before in local school; I think I will manage.”
However, there were still a few primary concerns and worries for students. Janiece Jok worried about “work, dictations and tests” in secondary school, while Matthew Kauer was concerned “about getting lost in secondary school because there are a lot of classes to remember.”
There were also things that students didn’t like about secondary school, such as “homework and having to walk around,” according to Skyler Ma.
Looking at the statistics of the responses we got, it seems as though the majority of the students think that they are ready for secondary school, although many people still have concerns about homework, schedules, tests, etc. Many students think that they will enjoy the subjects Individuals and societies, Design, Drama, Science, and many more. Lots of people think that secondary subjects are really fun, even with all the concerns they have.
Overall, primary was such a fun and helpful experience, and ultimately, primary wasn’t just for learning, but also to prepare us for the upcoming challenges in secondary.