1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:19,280 Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast where we dive into relevant topics and issues 2 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,600 related to the world of business, technology, education and design. 3 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,600 I'm your host, Mr. Jason. 4 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,980 Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders, and inspirational stories 5 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:31,980 with an international flavor. 6 00:00:31,980 --> 00:00:35,920 This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International 7 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:37,920 Community School of Bangkok. 8 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:50,920 In today's episode, we will be having a discussion with Mrs. Karen, our middle school principal, 9 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,840 and a Q&A session with a few of our eighth and ninth grade students. 10 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,600 It should be a fun time, especially with our student guests, because they will be fulfilling 11 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,120 the roles of our co-host. 12 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,680 Okay, let's get started with our quote of the day and some news headlines. 13 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,200 Thank you, Mr. Jason. 14 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,720 Our quote of the day comes from the previous senior master of the Jade Palace and the founder 15 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,200 of the Valley of Peace, Master Ugwe. 16 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,280 He is quoted as saying to the future dragon warrior, just before he moves into the next 17 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,600 life, you are too concerned with what was and will be. 18 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:25,560 There is a saying, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. 19 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,040 That's why it's called the present. 20 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,040 Such wise words, as you cannot tell the future or change mistakes from the past. 21 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,440 Learn to live in the present and make the best of every day you are given, because it 22 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:35,440 is a present. 23 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:41,440 Naseri, the Iranian refugee who inspired the Steven Spielberg film, The Terminal, has passed 24 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:42,440 away. 25 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:47,240 As shown in the movie, Naseri had lived at the Paris airport for 18 years on multiple 26 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,320 occasions and now has passed away of natural causes. 27 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:56,280 Hurricane Nicole hit Florida's eastern coast on Thursday as a category 1 hurricane, and 28 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,720 eventually weakened to a tropical storm. 29 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,200 Beachfront houses suffered immense damage. 30 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:06,240 Rising sea levels are causing erosions and high tide floods due to climate change. 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,480 Archaeologists believe they have located a tunnel leading to Cleopatra's tomb. 32 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:15,240 The tunnel is around 1300 meters long and is located 13 meters underground. 33 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:20,360 Excavation has revealed a religious center with three sanctuaries, statues, golden pieces 34 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:25,160 and coins portraying Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra and the Ptolemies. 35 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,960 According to Martinez, the head archaeologist, if the tunnels do lead to Cleopatra's tomb, 36 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:37,680 this would be considered the most important discovery of the century. 37 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,840 Thank you for the quote and the news headlines, Linda. 38 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:41,680 Let's begin with our first question. 39 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,840 Welcome to our podcast, Mrs. Karen. 40 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,160 We have a question for you and it is, what are some inspiring qualities you see in middle 41 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:49,160 school students? 42 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:50,160 Thank you, Lyon. 43 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,240 I'm happy to be here. 44 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,800 We were just talking before the podcast about the idea that middle school often gets a pretty 45 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:57,800 bad rap. 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,000 You watch movies, right? 47 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,000 TV shows. 48 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,600 Middle school looks like an absolute disaster when you watch them in those contexts. 49 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:13,400 And I think that sometimes the actual beauty of middle school is that you have students 50 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:19,560 who are at an age where they're really developing who they are, what they're interested in. 51 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:26,880 They have this ability to start to have really adult conversations, really think deeply about 52 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:35,920 ideas while at the same time maintaining that childlike energy and enthusiasm for what they're 53 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:36,920 learning. 54 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:41,000 And so when you talk to a middle school teacher or, you know, right now we start to go through 55 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,480 our recruiting season, right? 56 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:48,080 Where we're looking for teachers to come to ICS and to come into the middle school. 57 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:52,080 And some of the things that I'm looking for would be teachers who really embrace that, 58 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:59,200 who really love a bit of chaos, a bit of crazy, a whole lot of awkwardness, but also this 59 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:07,040 absolute brilliance of seeing a person emerge in those years and seeing the initial kind 60 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,940 of unveiling of who these kids are going to be as adults. 61 00:04:10,940 --> 00:04:11,940 And it's such a privilege. 62 00:04:11,940 --> 00:04:14,640 It's a really exciting time to be part of. 63 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,960 Moving on, what is the importance of implementing XBlock into the week and what are their positive 64 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:20,960 impacts? 65 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,520 I know I really miss having them. 66 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:30,480 I think XBlock is a favourite part of my week for sure because I get to get back in the 67 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,480 classroom and hang out with students. 68 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,640 It's also the favourite part of lots of students' weeks. 69 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:40,680 I think anytime you talk about a schedule, whether it's advisory or whether it's XBlock 70 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:45,260 or whether it's just changes you're making to your own lessons in the class, you kind 71 00:04:45,260 --> 00:04:49,400 of think about schedules for schools a little bit like our facilities. 72 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,240 So if I was to create the most incredible playground in the elementary that the elementary 73 00:04:54,240 --> 00:05:00,340 world has ever seen with slides and a flying fox and the huge, you know, just huge, right? 74 00:05:00,340 --> 00:05:03,480 What I'm actually creating is potential, right? 75 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,000 I'm creating opportunity and I'm creating potential. 76 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,240 I'm creating potential maybe for kids to learn gross and fine motor skills or conflict 77 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,680 resolution out on the playground. 78 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,880 But I'm not actually forcing any of those things to happen. 79 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:23,880 A kid could play on that playground without ever learning to be a good friend or without 80 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,520 ever learning to do the monkey bars, right? 81 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:32,760 So anytime that we create a change in a schedule at a school, all we're doing there is creating 82 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,060 a potential, an opportunity. 83 00:05:35,060 --> 00:05:40,040 And when we created XBlock, it was like creating a playground for middle school. 84 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:44,760 Now if I put in a middle, a playground in the grade 12, you know, like the commons in 85 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,520 for the high school that you guys would probably love it, right? 86 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:53,420 But it wouldn't be used to its maximum potential because when are kids developing those gross 87 00:05:53,420 --> 00:05:57,080 and fine motor skills the most in elementary? 88 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,840 And so putting the playground in elementary makes sense, right? 89 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:02,120 For that developmental state. 90 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:08,800 So when we put in XBlock, we chose middle school because of the timing of what students 91 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:09,800 are developing. 92 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:15,560 And one of those things, Linda, is that we're really trying to allow maximum opportunity 93 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:21,720 for kids to explore who they are, what they like, what they're interested in, what they're 94 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:23,320 not interested in, right? 95 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,720 Oh, I thought I might like pottery. 96 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,080 Actually turns out, you know, hate it, whatever, right? 97 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,160 So but it's just opportunity. 98 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:36,840 We can't force any kids to learn anything through it necessarily, but it's like putting 99 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:44,520 in a very intentional playground in middle school that gives them the chance to develop 100 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:49,400 in an area that we think is important, which is exploration and just trying something new 101 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,320 because that's risky. 102 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,400 That takes some courage to try something new in a fail-free environment, right? 103 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,720 Maybe you can share some of the XBlock activities. 104 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:02,680 Share some of these topics and subjects that the kids are able to kind of get involved 105 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:03,680 with. 106 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:04,680 Sure. 107 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:11,240 We've got over 22 different choices every quarter, and students can take one XBlock 108 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:12,240 per quarter. 109 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:17,640 So you take four, and hopefully over the course of middle school, you can take up to 12 different 110 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,860 subjects or different XBlocks. 111 00:07:19,860 --> 00:07:24,720 Everything from kind of STEM electives like microbits and programming. 112 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:31,640 We've got a new one on Python using Python for coding, animation, digital animation, introduction 113 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:35,880 to Photoshop, all of those sorts of STEM-like activities. 114 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:41,560 Then right through to the arts where we might have more around painting, drawing. 115 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:42,560 We have a photography. 116 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:45,020 We have a craft class. 117 00:07:45,020 --> 00:07:47,560 Even action kind of oriented XBlocks. 118 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,400 When you guys were in middle school, I think you remember Mr. Peter doing his survival 119 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:57,760 skills XBlock or yard games, beginner volleyball, things that really get students, middle school 120 00:07:57,760 --> 00:07:59,320 students up and moving. 121 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:05,520 I love board games, and so my XBlocks, the next two XBlocks I'm running are strategy 122 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,320 board games and that sort of thing, real-time games. 123 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:13,280 So one of the concepts is to ask teachers, like, what do you love? 124 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,120 I mean, you might be a math teacher, but maybe you love cross-stitch. 125 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,100 Why not show students that we're not just one thing? 126 00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:25,040 We're not just like an engineer brain or a history brain or whatever it is. 127 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,560 We actually are whole people, and we have got hobbies and talents and things that we 128 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,600 love and our teachers get to share those with students, which is awesome. 129 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,040 Well, thank you, Mrs. Karen. 130 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,000 That really clears things up for me why XBlock existed. 131 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,080 Now, I've also wanted to hear another question that I wanted to know since I was in middle 132 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:43,080 school. 133 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,640 What are the benefits of having an advisory block daily? 134 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:50,960 I think the benefits are going to be seen very differently from one student to the other, 135 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,040 one advisory to the other. 136 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,820 Go back to my playground analogy, it's very much about opportunity, right? 137 00:08:56,820 --> 00:08:59,360 So we have this potential space at the end of every day. 138 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,160 We have a 20-minute block. 139 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,960 You guys in high school have got kind of a once a week homeroom, and you probably remember 140 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,800 in middle school we have a 20-minute advisory every day. 141 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:14,000 So you get to meet with the same teacher and the same students each day at the end of every 142 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,000 day. 143 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,160 So you think about, well, what could we use that time for? 144 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,080 Middle schoolers immediately think of fun. 145 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:21,920 What could we use that time for? 146 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:26,400 And so, sure, we want to incorporate some games and team building and get to know you 147 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:31,900 activities and we do that at least once a week with team building. 148 00:09:31,900 --> 00:09:36,800 Some advisories are super competitive and that's their most exciting part of the week. 149 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:37,800 They really love that. 150 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:42,840 Others are really chill and they don't kind of get into the competition side of things 151 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:43,840 very much. 152 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:45,040 But it's totally fine. 153 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:50,080 And in fact, maybe it highlights the point, which is that every advisory creates their 154 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:51,700 own identity over time. 155 00:09:51,700 --> 00:09:54,440 So you're going to get different groups of students put together. 156 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,920 We try to make sure that there's some friends in each one of them so that you don't feel 157 00:09:57,920 --> 00:09:59,200 isolated. 158 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,160 Because the point is to find a small community within our big community. 159 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:08,760 Since you were in middle school, we've had kind of a shift towards really using our advisors 160 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,000 more as academic mentors. 161 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,960 So all of our middle school students right now have set academic targets. 162 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,440 What's one class they want to improve in and then their advisor is working with them on 163 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,440 that. 164 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:29,400 So we're really trying to utilize this fantastic 12 to 1 ratio, which is small, right, to its 165 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:35,880 best advantage in middle school to really help students not only feel at home, but achieve 166 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,400 what their goals are for the middle school. 167 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:45,280 Or even just identify that they have goals would be excellent as well. 168 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,680 Our next question is, we've heard that middle school has something called the Eagle Award 169 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:50,680 program. 170 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:52,540 Could you tell us more about it? 171 00:10:52,540 --> 00:10:55,680 Most of the upperclassmen here did not have it in middle school. 172 00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:57,640 And we were wondering what it is. 173 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:02,600 Probably remember we had an Eagle Award that was given out at the end of grade eight during 174 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,600 a big assembly. 175 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:11,280 And one student would receive that or maybe in an unusual year two students might receive 176 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:12,280 the Eagle Award. 177 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:18,920 But as we thought about it, we thought why not kind of create our own almost mini capstone 178 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:19,920 in a sense. 179 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:25,800 Now the concept of a capstone is something that you do at the end of a period of time, 180 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:30,480 right, that kind of encapsulates everything that hopefully that you've learned along the 181 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:31,480 way. 182 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:32,480 So grade eights are invited. 183 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:33,600 It's an optional program. 184 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:39,080 We have about between 40 and 50 students doing it this year to participate in this year long 185 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:42,320 program that is really self initiated. 186 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:49,000 They need to take a lot of responsibility and to achieve three to four different kind 187 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:50,660 of goals along the way. 188 00:11:50,660 --> 00:11:57,240 By the end of the year, they will have achieved a wellness sort of target or a wellness goal, 189 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,140 which is about their physical health, their physical well-being. 190 00:12:00,140 --> 00:12:04,680 Some of them might identify that they want to participate in a particular sport or a 191 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:10,120 particular athletic activity to improve their physical well-being and health. 192 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:16,280 And the second one is kind of an exploratory goal where they improve a particular skill. 193 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:21,320 Now both the well-being and the skill goals that they accomplish and that they achieve 194 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,040 have to be 10 hours in length. 195 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:28,680 So it can't be just like I'm going to swim for an hour, I'm going to run for an hour, 196 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:32,160 or it couldn't be that I'm going to try out coding for an hour and then I'm going to go 197 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,520 switch over to sewing for an hour. 198 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,280 They need to deep dive into a particular skill. 199 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:42,440 So they might spend 10 hours learning a language or learning some kind of musical instrument 200 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:43,640 and they keep track of that. 201 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:44,640 They have a mentor. 202 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:51,640 We use different programs like masterclass online or Skillshare and they choose something 203 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,640 kind of deep dive into that. 204 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:58,040 And then the third component is a service component that will start in February. 205 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:04,080 And that's where they identify an organization that they admire and want to work alongside. 206 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,880 Again, they put in a certain number of hours, they do interviews with that organization. 207 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:13,120 Unlike high school caps, they're not creating a project. 208 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:19,040 They're drawing alongside of an existing organization to volunteer their time and energy 209 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:20,600 and maybe learn something. 210 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,880 Well, not maybe, I know that they learn a lot from these organizations. 211 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:30,320 So by the end of the year, some of our students and last year we had about 20, I think 21 212 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,120 grade eights accomplish all of these things. 213 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:37,560 In addition, we do seminars throughout the year on leadership from different people around 214 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:38,920 the community. 215 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,520 And then, you know, they're kind of awarded at the end of the year for having spent some 216 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,320 time in grade eight before they hit the big leagues here in high school. 217 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:53,960 Really, again, exploring something different, trying something new and learning some new 218 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:54,960 skills. 219 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:55,960 So I'm pretty proud of them. 220 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,560 I don't know, you'll hear them ask questions later. 221 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:05,400 They're kind of, you know, how do we learn to do well in high school? 222 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:10,000 One of the things that the Eagle Award Program teaches them is how to work on a long project. 223 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:11,880 I mean, this is a year long project. 224 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,080 How to break things down into smaller parts. 225 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,360 You have a mentor come alongside them and help them make sure they're staying on target. 226 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:24,120 But that's pretty essential learning for when you're getting up into, certainly up into 227 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:28,840 year 11 and 12 and working on some of these bigger projects like Capstone, for example. 228 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:33,160 So our last question for you today is what are some of the main differences you see between 229 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,920 sixth graders and eighth graders? 230 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:37,180 Some of the key differences. 231 00:14:37,180 --> 00:14:41,340 So when our sixth graders come in, you really have to think that, you know, we're receiving 232 00:14:41,340 --> 00:14:44,920 elementary school and elementary age students, right? 233 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:46,040 These guys are coming in. 234 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:52,320 They've had a single classroom teacher who's done a fantastic job for many years of building 235 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:58,960 a classroom culture where they're together with the same 20 students and they're cared 236 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:00,720 for and nurtured by that teacher. 237 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,600 And of course they've got specials and they move around to different electives. 238 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,560 But they're kind of coming into a much more high school, what looks much more like a high 239 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,720 school schedule where they're moving around independently. 240 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:17,360 I don't know if you remember the fear factor in that, like am I going to get lost? 241 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,720 You know, am I going to be able to open my locker? 242 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,240 Am I going to be late for class? 243 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,080 How am I going to find my way around? 244 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:29,680 I think if you asked any of the grade six students, they would remember that very well, 245 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:30,680 right? 246 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,840 That fear of coming in new to that environment. 247 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:42,840 So moving from that to grade eight where in the next month we're going to be working with 248 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,720 each of our grade eight students to create this four year course planner where they're 249 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:52,260 looking ahead to high school and instead of kind of widening their interests, they will 250 00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:54,780 start to narrow their focus. 251 00:15:54,780 --> 00:16:00,100 And over time, by the time they hit where you're at now, Linda, they're really kind 252 00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:04,800 of focused in on a particular goal, hopefully, or an area of interest. 253 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,400 So that's a pretty huge difference between grade six and grade eight. 254 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:15,320 You know, not just talking about physical height, you know, voice changes, all of the 255 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,160 delights of puberty that they go through between six and eight. 256 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:26,120 But I mean, this is a major change in focus from being just totally obsessed with, well, 257 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:32,400 how do I get to class and how do I survive this new world to, wow, I've really got to 258 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,160 start planning for my future in a much more serious way. 259 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:40,200 You know, some students come into grade six ready for university, but there's not too 260 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:41,800 many. 261 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,760 And so you see incredible change in growth. 262 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,900 And maybe that's one of the things that I love most about middle school. 263 00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:51,920 And I think if you talk to any middle school teachers, what they love. 264 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,400 I first started my career teaching grade 11 and 12. 265 00:16:55,400 --> 00:17:02,200 So when I was here at ICS back in the day, I taught English and I taught some history 266 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:04,520 classes up in the upper high school. 267 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,200 I never thought I would want to teach middle school. 268 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,960 Like they were crazy, squirrely, out of control. 269 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:16,280 You know, over the course of my career, increasingly, you know, I took on classes maybe that were 270 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,460 a bit lower in that age group. 271 00:17:18,460 --> 00:17:24,140 And I think one of the things that as an absolute delight about middle school is this question 272 00:17:24,140 --> 00:17:29,360 you're asking me, Lian, which is this huge difference that you get to witness over three 273 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:35,120 years of middle school, seeing students move from really being elementary students to being 274 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:37,000 ready for high school. 275 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:38,760 And that growth is incredible. 276 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,360 It's a privilege to be part of. 277 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:47,040 I'm of course thrilled to work with the team of teachers and educators I get to work with. 278 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:48,040 Thank you for that. 279 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:54,040 Do you have any final general advice for the current or upcoming middle school students? 280 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:58,720 Do I have any advice for the current or upcoming middle school students? 281 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,040 Well, listen to Students Incorporated. 282 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:06,200 I think that what you're doing here is just an example of the advice that I would give 283 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,840 to middle school students, right? 284 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:12,440 Which is find something you're interested in and create something new. 285 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:18,160 Take this opportunity in middle school over the next three years that you've got to initiate 286 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,160 something, you know, start a club, try something. 287 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,520 It doesn't much matter if it falls on its face. 288 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,120 You're in middle school. 289 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:31,000 There's no big life consequences to trying something and not working out. 290 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,800 So yeah, just give it a go. 291 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,800 And I think that you'll find that in middle school, all of our teachers would be really 292 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,400 supportive of students just trying something new. 293 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,920 So I love this, love Students Incorporated for doing that and for initiating something 294 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:46,680 new this year. 295 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,840 And I hope you inspire our middle school students to do the same. 296 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,960 And with that, we are running out of time for part one. 297 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,440 Thank you so much for joining us, Mrs. Karen. 298 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,600 We will be right back for part two. 299 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,440 But first we have our regular announcement from Lion. 300 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:07,200 One, two, three, four. 301 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,480 The holiday season is coming up with Thanksgiving only a week away. 302 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:16,520 It is a time of deep gratitude and appreciation for our loved ones and the opportunities we've 303 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:17,720 all been given. 304 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:22,280 And according to Andy Williams, the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas, is just a little 305 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:23,780 over a month away. 306 00:19:23,780 --> 00:19:28,040 The high school Christmas party is coming up soon and it will be a fun time full of 307 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,640 games, songs and great food. 308 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:36,560 Don't forget to sign up for the QR code on the posters around school. 309 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:41,080 For part two of this episode, we are mixing it up a bit with our co-host and guests. 310 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:45,940 We welcome two current eighth grade students, Nishka and Garch as our co-host. 311 00:19:45,940 --> 00:19:50,720 We also welcome two ninth grade students, Highlight and Jedi, as our guests. 312 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:55,480 And because we are referring to this part of our episode as burning questions eighth 313 00:19:55,480 --> 00:20:00,840 graders want to ask ninth graders, our two eighth grade co-hosts will be interviewing 314 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,480 our two ninth grade guests. 315 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:05,960 Okay, Nishka, we'll begin with our first question. 316 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,800 Since we'll have to choose classes for ninth grade soon, what advice would you give us 317 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:13,120 for selecting courses and how much help do the counselors provide? 318 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:17,480 For me, I'd say to choose courses that really interest you. 319 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,560 I wouldn't choose courses because your friends are in them or because they might sound cool. 320 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:27,920 Maybe just do them because you want to do them if you haven't interested in it. 321 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:34,880 I think counselors, they help you setting them up and giving you advice for future courses 322 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:35,880 too. 323 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:42,480 Yeah, so for me, I personally think that you should select courses based on your interests 324 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:43,840 or your passions. 325 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:48,360 Just take middle school and treat it as like an exploration field. 326 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:54,260 Try your best to find out and discover your passion in middle school and then choose your 327 00:20:54,260 --> 00:20:57,640 courses based off of your passions. 328 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:03,000 But other than that, for ninth grade, for like when you're registering for courses, 329 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,920 just keep in mind of the prerequisites since I totally think that that's important. 330 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,120 Although in ninth grade, I don't think there are too many choices for you to choose at 331 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:13,200 that point. 332 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,040 You can choose more when you're in 10th grade. 333 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,080 And the counselors also provide us with great advice. 334 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,760 So if you have any questions, feel free to just ask your counselor. 335 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:27,400 Yeah, and I feel like in eighth grade, you know, the freedom you get is like strings, 336 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:28,560 band, drama. 337 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,400 Is there like more core classes that you get to pick specifically? 338 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:37,120 I guess for core classes like math and science, there's a lot more. 339 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:43,280 There's like physics and you know, you have ICP, but then it branches off into many more, 340 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,280 you know, more specific classes. 341 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:51,440 Yeah, as Jedha has said, you can choose to delve deeper into certain specific fields, 342 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:56,120 which could benefit you throughout later on in your high school career. 343 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,840 So I think it's very important to keep in mind of the prerequisites as well as I've 344 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:06,360 mentioned earlier, because if you are aware of the prerequisites, you can take that beforehand 345 00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:10,760 and then you can choose the more advanced courses later on in your high school career. 346 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:12,240 Yeah, that is really smart. 347 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:17,360 I feel like people think like ICP I'm taking right now and there's so much homework. 348 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:19,160 How is that in ninth grade? 349 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:23,000 It really depends on like the classes that you have that you take. 350 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:28,280 Mostly teachers don't really give you as much, you know, homework as you would in eighth 351 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:29,280 grade. 352 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:33,160 It's mostly just studying, but you should do that on your own as like a normal thing. 353 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,640 But if you're working on a project, they will assign you like stuff to do. 354 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:42,680 I feel like in terms of workload for me, I don't think there there's like a drastic difference 355 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,080 between the workload in eighth grade and ninth grade. 356 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:51,080 But the major differences that I would like to point out is the content in eighth grade 357 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:52,080 and ninth grade. 358 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:57,280 So you might experience that transition a little because the ninth grade content might 359 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:01,880 be a little more advanced and it takes more time to wrap your head around it. 360 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:06,520 But overall, speaking of the workload, I don't think there's a major differences, but I would 361 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:12,200 like to also add on that in 10th grade, that might be like the major shift, the actual 362 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:13,200 high school. 363 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,960 On your first day of high school, was there anything you were worried about or nervous 364 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:17,960 about? 365 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,840 For me, on my first day, I wasn't really I didn't really fear like anything. 366 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:24,680 I was kind of more scared of what the community was like in high school. 367 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:28,800 I'll be worried like the, you know, the lowest grade and all these older kids, you know, 368 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:34,080 they're kind of scary, but you know, if you as you know, the week goes by, everyone's 369 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,960 actually really nice and really good to just talk to people and get to know them because, 370 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,680 you know, the community here at ICS is really good and like they can help you. 371 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:47,600 So in my opinion, I think that on the first day of school, I was very apprehensive of 372 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,560 like meeting new people, getting to interact with upperclassmen. 373 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:56,000 I was very concerned about that because I was not really sure whether or not high school 374 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:01,920 would actually be a major transition into like this new community in which you're like 375 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:03,300 the youngest. 376 00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:08,400 And besides that, I feel like a piece of advice that I would like to give to those who are 377 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:14,040 also concerned of like their first day of school is just to like take this time to reconnect 378 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,120 and rekindle with your friends because like during the break, you sometimes don't spend 379 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:20,920 as much time with your friends. 380 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:25,020 But now that you're back to school, just take the time to kind of reconnect with them 381 00:24:25,020 --> 00:24:27,040 and build that tight relationship. 382 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,640 And Jedha, you mentioned like the community of high school. 383 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:35,520 And I feel like a big part of our school is like the after school activities and the clubs. 384 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,840 So I know you're like in place and stuff. 385 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,080 How do you balance that with your homework? 386 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:44,600 I'd say for homework, you shouldn't procrastinate at all because it always builds up and you 387 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:49,920 know, the more you just finish things faster and on pace, it helps you and you like your 388 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:51,080 grades aren't as bad. 389 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:55,120 I wouldn't say to choose so many after school activities because you know, we'll still 390 00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:56,440 need some free time as well. 391 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:02,280 So my experience with this is that I always try to keep track of the tasks that I have 392 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:08,440 in hand at the moment by using a to do list and also having a calendar in hand. 393 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:14,280 Like it could be a digital form or like physically depending on your preferences. 394 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:19,760 But other than that, I usually just keep track and lay out my schedule beforehand. 395 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,280 So you have like a scope of the future. 396 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:28,440 Yeah, of what your future looks like as well as know how to organize your time so that 397 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:31,140 it's most effective and efficient. 398 00:25:31,140 --> 00:25:32,140 And I'll highlight. 399 00:25:32,140 --> 00:25:33,880 Are you a part of any clubs right now? 400 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:40,560 Yes, I am part of the MUN club, which is the Model United Nations club here. 401 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:45,080 And I heard that there's also going to be an ICS Model United Nations conference. 402 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:50,380 So I really do look forward to going and participating in that as well. 403 00:25:50,380 --> 00:25:58,460 So MUN club basically introduced me to the idea of students coming together and discussing 404 00:25:58,460 --> 00:25:59,880 about like global issues. 405 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:04,360 So I think a piece of advice that I would like to give to like eighth graders, like 406 00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:09,680 rising ninth graders would be to if you are currently part of the global issues club, 407 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,960 maybe you might as well consider joining the MUN club later on. 408 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:21,560 I'm also part of the debate MUN and yeah, the Union Article Club, which is about writing 409 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:27,400 and recognizing the interconnectedness between the global issues and your life. 410 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:33,660 You can also write about random topics, but basically are trying to use journalism as 411 00:26:33,660 --> 00:26:36,900 a way to advocate for different issues. 412 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:38,880 So how did it feel for you guys? 413 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,680 Because when you were in eighth grade, you were the oldest middle school and you knew 414 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:44,040 basically everything about it. 415 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,840 But then when you go to high school, you're really new to it and everyone else has been 416 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:50,760 really experienced at that and they've been there for a long time. 417 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:54,880 In my eighth grade year, I felt really comfortable with just the school. 418 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,600 I wasn't really scared of anything that much. 419 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:03,240 I didn't really have any fears or, you know, I guess doing well in my grades and all that 420 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,320 was still an important thing. 421 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:11,760 When I moved into ninth grade, I felt that, you know, I had a lot more to learn and I 422 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,400 had a lot of new experience basically. 423 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:16,400 Yeah. 424 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:24,080 So for me, in middle school, you oftentimes take classes with peers from your own grade. 425 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:29,560 But when it comes to high school, you get like a more diverse environment and you also 426 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:36,280 get to learn with students whether or not whether they're like an upperclassman or maybe 427 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,480 they're like a little older than you or some sort. 428 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:45,520 Yeah, so I basically just ask them for advice and they're oftentimes very open and they're 429 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:49,160 always open-minded and I always like ask them for help. 430 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:53,940 If I don't understand about some content that we're currently covering in class, I always 431 00:27:53,940 --> 00:27:57,240 try my best to kind of connect with upperclassmen. 432 00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:58,240 Yeah. 433 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,800 And hearing you guys today, I have to say I'm excited to get into high school. 434 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,000 Get into it's like we're good accepted. 435 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,200 So what is one piece of advice you would give to all eighth graders moving to high school? 436 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:13,680 Okay, I'd say to enjoy your last year in middle school because it's a lot of fun even though 437 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:15,960 ninth grade isn't like drastically different. 438 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:17,480 Have a lot of fun in eighth grade. 439 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:21,800 Do your best, try your best, try to have fun and you know just get ready for that ninth 440 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:22,800 grade year. 441 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,800 As a former middle schooler, a piece of advice I would like to give is that just use your 442 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:33,920 middle school time to seek and scour for your passions through activities, extracurriculars, 443 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,240 whether it's the programs that middle school provides for us. 444 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:42,920 For instance, the Eagle Award program, the X Block opportunities, I feel like those are 445 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,360 just like great opportunities for us. 446 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:51,360 And also as like an opportunistic, I also love enjoying like you know participating 447 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:53,560 in these activities anyways. 448 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,960 So I feel like that's like good opportunity. 449 00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:01,080 Try to build a very tight knit relationship with your friends and connect with them as 450 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:06,520 much as possible because in high school, I feel like friends are such an important aspect 451 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,040 of your high school life. 452 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:14,160 So if you have a clan, a gang that you could rely on, I think that would be very helpful, 453 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,760 beneficial and supportive for you. 454 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:21,680 So since you're in ninth grade now, are there more or less electives and what type of classes 455 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:22,780 do you get to take? 456 00:29:22,780 --> 00:29:25,560 How do they compare to your eighth grade classes? 457 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:31,760 I feel like now that we're still in ninth grade, I think that the classes that we're 458 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:37,240 taking are oftentimes like very similar to our classmates, so we don't really have like 459 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,560 too many choices that we could choose from. 460 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:46,080 But just keep in mind that we're collecting our credits and you know taking the courses 461 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:51,680 that would lead to opening up more doors later on in our high school career. 462 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:57,380 So at this point in time, we're also still like novices in this like high school career 463 00:29:57,380 --> 00:29:58,380 field. 464 00:29:58,380 --> 00:30:05,400 So yeah, just collect all of the required courses and then you could choose to concentrate 465 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:11,440 and focus on particular classes later on throughout high school, specifically during like 10th 466 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,600 grade, 11th grade in 12th. 467 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:18,160 Okay, so this is really random, but it just popped into my head and maybe it's because 468 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:23,760 I'm really hungry right now, but I have to know what is lunch like in high school? 469 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:25,480 That is an amazing question, Garch. 470 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:30,400 I just like to say lunch is the best time of the day because you know that's when you 471 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,640 can relax, you can talk to your friends, you know meet new people and always connect with 472 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:38,640 others because you know it's always a lot of fun to talk to other people that's not 473 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:42,860 in your grade like upperclassmen because everyone's actually a lot of fun and really nice. 474 00:30:42,860 --> 00:30:46,760 So you might find a new table to sit with or you know lots of people to hang out with. 475 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:52,640 So I would like to describe high school lunch in one word. 476 00:30:52,640 --> 00:31:00,040 So I think it's like very liberating to just let out all of your energy because like after 477 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:07,040 a very tiring morning, you get like this long break, especially like after a test, you get 478 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:13,080 to talk to your friends and let go all of the burdens that you've been holding throughout 479 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:14,420 the test sessions. 480 00:31:14,420 --> 00:31:20,640 So I think it's a great time to talk to your friends, eat lunch, have like this session 481 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:26,800 with your peers, try to connect with you know strangers maybe and go to the media center 482 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,080 and just look for books. 483 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:34,080 As we end this episode, let's remember the wise words from Master Uguay. 484 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:39,680 Today is the present so let's make the best of every day we are given because those days 485 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,480 are gifts and that's a wrap for this episode. 486 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:44,280 Did you catch the connection there? 487 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,200 Present, gift, wrap and the holidays coming up? 488 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:51,400 Okay with that cheesy ending, I just want to say thank you to all of our guests for 489 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:56,240 joining us, especially our eighth and ninth grade students because your voice matters 490 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,240 too. 491 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:04,040 Please stay tuned for more episodes about exciting and engaging topics. 492 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:08,040 You won't want to miss our next show as we'll be recording it in front of a live studio 493 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,680 audience of more than 400 people. 494 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:14,600 Anyway stay tuned as you definitely don't want to miss it because it's never been done 495 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:15,640 before here. 496 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,380 As always this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of our international 497 00:32:20,380 --> 00:32:21,840 student production team. 498 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,680 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives 499 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,320 sharing copyright free images, videos and music. 500 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,280 And we are signing off until next time. 501 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:47,120 We are Students Incorporated because your voice matters.