A Brief Description Of Piney Grove Middle School Experience

Introduction

This essay will be composed of an in-depth description of my experiences as a 6th through 8th-grade middle school student at Piney Grove Middle School in Forsyth County, Georgia. I will relate my experiences to concepts I have learned during the course and use scholarly resources to support my writing and better describe course-related topics. I will reflect on my experiences, the learning community I was a part of, and how they impacted me. Also, I will highlight the areas that need to be improved and the areas that worked well. This essay will be a detailed, authentic, and honest evaluation of my experiences as a middle school student with thoughtful connections to the course.

[Piney Grove Middle School]

Piney Grove Middle

The teachers made learning fun, which impacted how students participated in classes. According to M2 Communications, “When planning learning activities, both parents and teachers should strive to make the process meaningful through interesting and enjoyable activities, making it seem like play. The intent is to encourage their interest in seeking new experiences in learning, allowing them to experiment” (M2 Communications, 2022). Striving to make learning fun and engaging is precisely what I found my teachers doing. Sixth grade was my first time going to a public school, and I was excited because I had so many peers, which made me look forward to making more friends. The school administration and teachers pushed students to get involved at school and either join a club, play a sport, or do both. There were various extracurricular opportunities and organizations to get involved in as a student. While attending the school, I joined the Fellowship Christian Athletes Club and the track and field team in my 8th-grade year. According to Oberle, Ji, Guhn, Schonert-Reichl, and Gadermann, “Based on more than a decade of research linking extracurricular participation to important developmental outcomes (e.g., academic achievement, friendships and connectedness, behavioral and mental health), extracurricular activities have been considered an ecological asset that contributes to children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing, and thriving…” (Gadermann, Guhn, Ji, Oberle, Schonert-Reichl, 2019, p. 2255). The extracurricular opportunities and organizations contributed to my overall well-being and allowed me to get to know other students and discover my interests. The school allowed students to pick drama, music, or weight training for one of their two specials during the semester if they desired to do so. I did weight training every year, and I still practice what I learned