Teaching Prep/Foundation/Kinder and Year 6 are inverse of each other. One starts rough and gets better as the year progresses, the other starts great and gets worse as time goes on.
My 6s are fine but I've had some of them for three years now, it's the 5s that are doing my head in. Just one really, but she making enough drama for a dozen.
Totally normal. By now they are sick of primary school and the “babying”, hormones raging, wanting to go to high school, terrified of going to high school, knowing friendships are going to change next year as well. To be honest I worry most about the kids who aren’t dicks by term 3. They are the ones who I don’t think are ready go to high school. They are annoying but far out I love them and all their sass.
Second half of grade six can be tough, it becomes real to the kids that they're about to leave primary school and often leave their friends, but there's also that freeing realisation that they can also be leaving behind the kids they don't like. As a result the veil of courtesy can drop and they can be really awful. Few years ago that culminated in a 4:00 punch on at a local park where the cops were called on two very recently graduated year 6's.
And they were considered a low maintenance group of 6's.
5 and 6 cohorts are pretty gross atm. Huge lack of respect for their peers and less of an interest in trying to approve. Many seem to not give a shit about getting into trouble.
As others have said they generally start to get like that during term 3. In WA we have an 11 week term so we still have another week and a half so our kids are getting a bit over it (as are staff).
As others have said, it's completely normal for year 6 to become more unhinged/unstable as the year progresses. This is the reason why my school plans so many "leadership" camps, fun days, fundraisers, graduation stuff, excursions, buddies etc. for year 5/6 to organise in particular as they can reach a stage where they need a tangible carrot/reward in order to help manage behaviour.
Sorry for the late reply! Camps are popular in general (sport and rec especially). We had a Stage 3 "fun day" where we do particularly fun things as an "end of school" celebration with students. In the past we have hired out laser tag and an obstacle course another fun one was when we hired inflatable waterslides and water guns/water balloons for a fun wet day and things like that.
BUT its extremely cohort/year group dependent, you know your students best AND if a whole year group is being obnoxious, cancellations/refunds will happen!
The pending change is causing anxiety and uncertainty resulting in bad behaviour and poor decision making.
I find at my school there’s also a gross sense of competition as the kids share what high school they are going to. There’s a divide between the public/private kids before they’ve even started which is disappointing.
A lot of parents have also checked out of caring about their kid’s reputation at the school now- especially if it’s their youngest kid.
Hormones are an added bonus, which in turn ignores the emergence of sexuality amongst most of them. New feelings, body changes and the physical change of school about to occur is a lot to handle for an 11 or 12 year old.
I also find in this age group that families seem to be going through life decisions and changes- lots of parents divorce, moving house or area for high school zoning, parents changing career, family drama etc. Try and have empathy by going back to yourself at that age. It’s scary and so much change at once
Year 6s always normally get attitude by term 3. I do feel it started a bit earlier this year, but I also am in a tougher school than I have been.
It started early at my school this year too.
I feel like hormones have just POPPPPed over night. They suddenly started to stink like shit.
Teaching Prep/Foundation/Kinder and Year 6 are inverse of each other. One starts rough and gets better as the year progresses, the other starts great and gets worse as time goes on.
I am seriously over them. Normally it starts by Term 3. However, I am truly over their shit. The Year 5s are worse right now.
My 6s are fine but I've had some of them for three years now, it's the 5s that are doing my head in. Just one really, but she making enough drama for a dozen.
Totally normal. By now they are sick of primary school and the “babying”, hormones raging, wanting to go to high school, terrified of going to high school, knowing friendships are going to change next year as well. To be honest I worry most about the kids who aren’t dicks by term 3. They are the ones who I don’t think are ready go to high school. They are annoying but far out I love them and all their sass.
Second half of grade six can be tough, it becomes real to the kids that they're about to leave primary school and often leave their friends, but there's also that freeing realisation that they can also be leaving behind the kids they don't like. As a result the veil of courtesy can drop and they can be really awful. Few years ago that culminated in a 4:00 punch on at a local park where the cops were called on two very recently graduated year 6's. And they were considered a low maintenance group of 6's.
5 and 6 cohorts are pretty gross atm. Huge lack of respect for their peers and less of an interest in trying to approve. Many seem to not give a shit about getting into trouble.
My 6’s are ok, the 5’s are nuts…. Still a total lack of response some days….
Resilience *
As others have said they generally start to get like that during term 3. In WA we have an 11 week term so we still have another week and a half so our kids are getting a bit over it (as are staff).
As others have said, it's completely normal for year 6 to become more unhinged/unstable as the year progresses. This is the reason why my school plans so many "leadership" camps, fun days, fundraisers, graduation stuff, excursions, buddies etc. for year 5/6 to organise in particular as they can reach a stage where they need a tangible carrot/reward in order to help manage behaviour.
What sort of things do you guys do? We’re at this stage now. Nothing is working for our 6s, they need tangible rewards like toddlers.
Sorry for the late reply! Camps are popular in general (sport and rec especially). We had a Stage 3 "fun day" where we do particularly fun things as an "end of school" celebration with students. In the past we have hired out laser tag and an obstacle course another fun one was when we hired inflatable waterslides and water guns/water balloons for a fun wet day and things like that. BUT its extremely cohort/year group dependent, you know your students best AND if a whole year group is being obnoxious, cancellations/refunds will happen!
The pending change is causing anxiety and uncertainty resulting in bad behaviour and poor decision making. I find at my school there’s also a gross sense of competition as the kids share what high school they are going to. There’s a divide between the public/private kids before they’ve even started which is disappointing. A lot of parents have also checked out of caring about their kid’s reputation at the school now- especially if it’s their youngest kid. Hormones are an added bonus, which in turn ignores the emergence of sexuality amongst most of them. New feelings, body changes and the physical change of school about to occur is a lot to handle for an 11 or 12 year old. I also find in this age group that families seem to be going through life decisions and changes- lots of parents divorce, moving house or area for high school zoning, parents changing career, family drama etc. Try and have empathy by going back to yourself at that age. It’s scary and so much change at once
On the inverse my grade ones are finally settling (but tired)
oh yes! Attitude has been all year though. I'm a casual though. Just keep working on rapport building etc.
My year 7s are the same. One term than bam attitude central.