Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] If you really knew me. If you really knew me if you really knew me if you really knew me, you would know. Hey, who are you? Who, me? Yeah, you. It's Monday.
[00:00:17] Hello and welcome back to if youf Knew Me Mondays, a student powered Park Day inspired podcast that builds belonging by sharing stories and perspectives from the margins of our school and community. Say what? I'm Shay and I'm in eighth grade. If you really knew me, you'd know that. I've been dreaming about graduating since sixth grade, but now that it's here, it feels so surreal.
[00:00:37] I'm Lucien and I'm also in eighth grade. If you really knew me, you'd know that I used to think Step Up Day was just for little kids, but now I see it's actually one of the most meaningful traditions in our school.
[00:00:47] And I'm Noam. If you really knew me, you know that. I was chosen to be a class speaker at graduation along with Shae and am excited and honored to be able to share my best memories and experiences from my first year at Park Day fourth grade.
[00:01:01] Today's episode is all about transitions. Those big and small moments when we grow, reflect and get ready for what's next.
[00:01:07] We'll be talking to students and teachers and to each other about ending one chapter and starting a new one in school. And not to get too serious, but life as well.
[00:01:16] Speaking of new chapters in life, this is unfortunately our last production in the podcast club. While this is sad, it also shows how far I've come and progressed since my very first episode about squirrels. All the way back in fifth grade. Oh, I remember that.
[00:01:30] Hello and welcome to Fun Facts at Park Day. My name is Shay and I'm a fifth grader and I love kayaking. Shout out to my first podcast collaborators, Avery, Ren, Sayuri and Sahana.
[00:01:42] And much love to Lucian and Noem, or better well known as Skadooshan and Broem, my chief podcast collaborators in 8th grade.
[00:01:50] Alright, back to business school and life transitions. Let's head out to campus and hear from the people.
[00:01:56] Lets start with a moment that happens every year but still feels special every time. Step Up Day at Park Day. Step Up Day happens every spring. Younger students step up into their next grade, literally and symbolically. They meet their new teachers, see their new classrooms, and get a small taste of what the next year will look like. But what does Step Up Day actually feel like? We wanted to know what this moment means to the people who experience it. So we talked to students and teachers about the feelings, memories and the meaning behind Step Up Day. My name is Nomi. I'm in fifth grade, and I remember Step Up Day last year. I don't remember the years before that much. It felt kind of scary, but also exciting, and it made me feel curious for what would happen next year.
[00:02:37] Hi, my name is Paola and I'm one of the kinder teachers. I teach with Victoria, and we are the Rainbow Unicorns this year.
[00:02:44] One of the reasons why I feel like Step Up Day is really important is because it is a great way to connect for our kids to connect with the teachers that they will be having next year and for them to just be a part of the space that they will be getting to experience on an everyday basis the following year. I love Step Up Day. It's really cool. It's sad that, like, you know, in kinder, we don't get to meet our new kiddos until the summertime, but it's really nice that other teachers get to meet their kiddos on Step Up Day. Hi, my name is Stephen. I am in fourth grade, and I am probably most excited for Step Update and getting to see my new classroom and. And seeing my new teachers and pretty much just exploring and getting more responsibilities.
[00:03:30] Last Step Up Day, it was kind of, like, scary almost because we were the first class that was gonna be doing the weird middle school fifth grade thing.
[00:03:42] Hi, my name's Olivia and I'm in fifth grade.
[00:03:45] It's important because it makes the next year feel less scarier. For me, it was really chaotic, but, like, fun but sad because my teacher left the school.
[00:03:55] Everyone was kind of panicking because they were like, we're gonna be so bad on stage. Yeah. Were they bad on stage?
[00:04:03] We were decent. I guess we could be better.
[00:04:08] Yeah.
[00:04:09] Would you have any advice for the kids who are in your position last year who are scared to do Step Up Day? If you're afraid, focus on the good parts of life. Dun, dun, dun.
[00:04:22] As you just heard, Step Up Day can really bring a range of feelings. Can you imagine what it would be like to simply show up next year and not have any idea what it would look like?
[00:04:30] Okay, so Step Up Day gets us thinking about moving ahead. But for eighth graders like us, the next step is huge. We're literally moving to an entire new school. You mean high school graduation for us eighth graders isn't just a party. It's a turning point. So we asked the people who've watched us grow, our teachers, for some words of advice. Their advice was not only good for us eighth graders, but also applied to the Kids filling our shoes next year, the incoming seventh graders and any other kids who are moving on to the next grade. Hola. My name is Gracia Blum, teacher of middle school Spanish. And what advice should I give the students as they transition up a grade? I will say, be kind to yourselves.
[00:05:10] Be patient with new transitions and new schedules.
[00:05:15] Try to do your best in each class. I know all teachers are different, and therefore you have to grow up to love them and learn how to talk to them. Hey, so some advice for seventh graders that'd be great for eighth grade is to figure out what kind of planner or scheduling system works best for you, because 8th grade is a really, really busy year.
[00:05:35] Also, if you have any, like, beef or anything with friends, like, squash it over the summer because it's a quick year that you're going to leave really fast and you're going to be. You're going to get to D.C. and be like, oh, my God, I only have six weeks left.
[00:05:47] So you want to leave on a high note. And don't stress about high school. It all works out. Hi, my name's Jen. I'm the seventh and eighth grade English teacher. My advice for seventh graders rising up to eighth would be to make it count and to have fun and to speak up.
[00:06:05] The first of the year is really hectic when you're trying to think about high schools, where to go to high schools, and you're missing some classes.
[00:06:11] So be on top of your work, participate, do all the community events, and really just speak up for yourself when you're having a hard time.
[00:06:19] I'm Hal. I am the history teacher at Park Day School where you attend. And my advice for rising 8th graders is that this will be a big year with high school and increased workload, and there are just a lot of opportunities to reset expectations at the beginning of the year for how you want to approach it, the kind of student you want to be, the kind of friend you want to be, and family member or community member, teammate, whatever it might be, you have a new chance to approach the year and make of it what you will.
[00:06:52] I'm Margaret. I'm the high school transition counselor. In addition to other things, but thinking about the seventh graders and what they should do, getting ready for eighth grade, they should have fun this summer. They should explore their interests. They shouldn't worry too much about high school yet. We're gonna dive all into that next year and they should really think about, like, what do I want to do that'll bring me joy and fun and maybe find out something new about myself. My name's Matthew. I teach seventh and eighth grade math. A piece of advice that I have for the rising seventh graders would be just remember to keep, like, communication open with your teachers, with your friends.
[00:07:33] So if anything's going on in your life or you need more time or whatever it may be, just remember to always communicate like, it's a really good community here at Park Day and everyone's here to help and support you. Hey, community, it's Coach Marissa. Some advice for some 8th graders.
[00:07:46] Don't take yourself too seriously. Still appreciate the little things. Have fun and do your best. Like, you're not too cool for school. My name's Coach Ozzie and my advice for going into a new grade is learning from your previous mistakes and doing your best not to repeat them so that in the future you experience success.
[00:08:07] We also turn the mic over to our fellow 8th graders. What do we wish we knew earlier?
[00:08:12] What can we share with younger students who are about to join middle school to give them the guidance we wish we had?
[00:08:18] I'm Kira. I'm in eighth grade and the advice I would give is if you're coming in to. What was it? Seventh grade, I think eighth grade, you should stay confident and no matter what happens, even if there's drama, don't let that change or stray you from having a good time in school. Don't waste your study hall time because you don't get that much homework if you spend your time well. And then also, like email yourself or have a plan and like, remember to do your homework. Don't forget things. Hi, I'm Issa. I'm in eighth grade and I would say use consultancy to the best of your ability because then you're going to have a lot of work and it'll add up. My name is Sahana. I'm in eighth grade. And my advice for coming eighth grader would be to respect both your classmates and your teachers. It might be really infuriating, but it'll make the school year a lot easier. My name is Voss. I'm in eighth grade. I'm like heck of nonchalant and what surprised me most about being in eighth grade, I'd say eighth grade was. I'd say it was surprisingly a chill year compared to seventh grade. At the start it was very difficult with like all these high school applications.
[00:09:25] But then like at the end of 8th grade I feel like it's just been really fun to learn more and be able to relax and yeah, I thought that was super chill. What advice would you give to seventh graders coming into eighth grade.
[00:09:37] Just do your best. Be locked in for high school applications if you're doing any, and just have fun. Cherish every moment, you know. Hello, my name is Kofi. I am in eighth grade and some advice I would give to fifth or sixth graders who are moving into the upper part of middle school would be do your homework. You know, always be prepared. Don't procrastinate.
[00:09:58] That's something I kind of struggle with and it showed in my grades, but then I took hand, I handled it and now my grades are fine. And also just continue to make relationships and build like genuine connections with friends and teachers. Also, like, talk to your teachers. If you're struggling with something, talk to your teachers because they will help you with it. My name is Sophia and I'm in eighth grade. One advice I would have for fifth graders moving into middle school is to stay on top of your work. Do every assignment the day that it's assigned, and don't let a whole bunch of assignments get on your list of having to dos because then you'll be stuck doing a lot of work on the times that you don't want to do it. Hi, my name is Alexa and I'm in eighth grade. One of my biggest challenges in middle school was that my friendships tended to change a lot. So I would get very attached to some friends and then maybe they would leave me or we just stopped getting along. So I would say for some advice, definitely hold your friendships close, but don't be sad and don't get all upset and don't try to keep friends that maybe aren't the perfect fit for you. Hello, my name is Jasper. I'm an eighth grader. And one thing that one piece of advice that I would give to a upcoming 8th grader is that enjoy your last year at park day because it goes by really quickly. Hello, my name is Hazel. I'm in eighth grade. Some advice I would give for the incoming eighth graders is do not let yourself get behind in work, especially in math, because then you won't understand it for the entire year and it gets really stressful. So just keep up with your work.
[00:11:31] Those were some really helpful ideas. I agree. Time management is really important in 8th grade. Using your study halls, consultancies and in class work periods responsibly helps reduce the amount of homework you have and prevents the stress that comes with late and missing assignments. Also, as several students just mentioned, 8th grade is too short to have social drama. Jules gave some great advice about squashing your beef over the summer so you don't have to deal with it during eighth grade when everything kicks up a notch. When you become an 8th grader at Park Day, everything shifts. You're the oldest, the ones who set the tone, whether you want the added responsibility or not. Being the oldest means that younger students will inevitably look up to you as the example to follow. What leadership looks like to me is that you just have to set, like, a good example for the kids that are, like, in younger grades. You can't be, like, cursing or doing stuff that they think would be cool when they're that age and they're, like, looking at you. But, you know, it's, like, bad to do at this school and. Yeah. So my name is Parker Moggridge, and I am the founder and president of the club, Tech Club. I started it with the tech administrator here named Debbie.
[00:12:39] And we go around helping kids from kinder to 8th grade with all their tech roles. And I really found myself kind of having, like, I'm. Because I'm the president, I'm often, like, telling and helping out all the other kids in the grade. And I feel like teachers and other students often come up to me asking about their tech questions.
[00:13:07] And I just think it's really cool that I'm able to be helpful and be seen by kids of multiple ages.
[00:13:14] Leadership is always, you know, treating people with respect, like, especially around younger kids so that they grow up and know that, like, you should always their first impression. Like, even. Even if you don't really know someone, you should always treat someone with respect.
[00:13:28] Leadership looks like when you're at break or recess or during clubs. And even though it's like middle school time, if there are younger kids around, then you can play with them, hang out with them, and make sure that they don't get hurt, because otherwise it's kind of on you. My name is Paloma. I'm in eighth grade. Obviously, I think leadership at Park Day kind of just looks like showing the little kids because, like, at lunch and stuff like that, they'll be kind of out and around just showing the little kids what it's like to be a community member and be, like, a good person and stuff like that. And also just like, talking to the kindergartners and other little kids when they come up to you and not just like, ignoring them because they want to talk to you and they want to be like, I talked to an eighth grader. So, yeah, so true. It's about responsibility, leadership, and looking out for others. Shay, what do you think about that?
[00:14:19] For me, it means setting an example for younger students. I have an older brother who went to Park Day, and I'm so glad that I had someone to show me the do's and don'ts of everyday life on campus.
[00:14:28] Transitions are big. They can feel exciting, scary, or even bittersweet. Whether you're stepping up into a new grade or out into a new school. Remember, growth doesn't happen all at once. It's in the little steps. We want to thank everyone who shared their stories, advice, and reflections. And to our listeners, if you're moving on or just beginning, we hope you find something here that helps you along the way. Once again, we're hosts Noam, Shay and Lucien. And for the last time in our Park Day podcasting careers, this has been if youf Knew Me Mondays. Signing off.
[00:15:04] That's so tough.
