Sixth grade is a transitional year, as students start to discover new activities and situations. How about having an optional choice of competitive sports available to anyone who wants to participate? Playing sports is a fun and engaging activity, and playing against other schools can give students a dose of healthy competition. However, sometimes, students won’t want to compete against another school. If competition were optional, would students take the risk of joining or would they rather wait until seventh grade? Having the urge to want to play against other schools is normal and most of all it is fun. It can teach students a lot of valuable skills and how to work well in a team.
Mrs. Laura Brown, a sixth grade math teacher, said “that it would give us a taste of grade 7”, and that when she was a sixth grader that she would “have killed to have competitive sports.” She added that she thought that it would be a great opportunity as sixth Grade would be “ready for seventh grade.” Coupled with that, she said that, “I am a very competitive person and I would have lovedthe occasion to be part of a team.”
Hadley Murphy, a sixth grader passionate about sports, thinks that “competitive sports would be too much strain for sixth graders if it were mandatory.” However, Murphy added that “if it were optional, it would be a good idea because we would have less pressure on our shoulders.”
Moreover, Murphy mentioned “that there should be different levels of competitive sports” for example when students are just starting and would like to be part of a team that there should be two different teams, one for starters, the other for the others that play better. Furthermore, she thinks this would “be a good opportunity for some of the players which are less qualified could have a chance and compete gives a good taste for the seventh and eighth grade.”
Ms. Hayley Canton, another middle school PE teacher, confessed that she doesn’t “have super strong opinions but there are an advantage and a disadvantage.” Canton added, “in sixth grade, we a
re still developing social skills” but if it were for fun she is for it because we can develop behavior skills when playing competitive sports.”
Playing sports is supposed to be a fun and engaging activity, and playing against other schools can give students a taste of competition. However, sometimes, students don’t want to compete against someone else even though their friends are in most teams. If competition were to be optional, would students take the risk or would they want competitive sports in seventh grade and up? Having the urge to want to play against other schools is normal and most of all it is fun. It can teach students a lot of valuable skills and how to work well in a team.
Overall, we strongly think that competitive sports for our grade would be a fabulous idea. It would, of course, help us get ready for seventh grade, but it would also inevitably help us improve social skills, develop friendships and most importantly have fun being part of a team. We know that we are in the younger tier of the Middle School and we are deemed not “old enough” by the administration. We are a strong and resilient grade and as a grade, we believe that we have the responsibility to compete in after-school sports.
