Auburn City Schools Junior High Setup

I am a senior in General Social Science Education. I just finished a three-day teaching practicum with ninth grade students at Auburn Junior High School. I throughly enjoyed my experience with these students and it made me excited and eager to have my own classroom. Ninth grade is such growing period for students and I loved being with them at this time in their career. Normally, ninth graders are the youngest in their high school, but I was in a unique school system. In Auburn City Schools there is a 6th and 7th grade Middle School, an 8th and 9th grade Junior High School, and a 1oth through 12th grade High School. I found that this system helps ninth graders to be extremely mature and act as leaders in a year that they would normally be the youngest and sometimes the least mature within the school setting. The ninth graders I worked with were amazing. They were so grown up and respectful, while also being eager to learn and very involved in the classroom. I found that the set up of Auburn City Schools is a great one for both students and teachers. The students get an environment where they are not labeled as "Freshman," which helps their self-esteem and leadership skills. The schools themselves are smaller than they might be with the traditional Middle School and High School setup. The three-school setup allows the students to get more positive attention and helps the student-teacher realationship immensely. I also feel that this gives the teachers a more stable and pleasant environment in which they can teach more productively. Overall, I feel that the setup of Auburn City Schools is one that benefits everyone and something that other school districts should consider.