Taylor waxes poetically for change, at the base levels, where the fire is lit for learning and caring about what matters most, depicting scenarios where the students' excitement and investment is "subscribed to" as well as any script for stage, having offered a variety of suggestions for re-envisioning the means to a healthy end for all.   Well-written poem loaded with devices yet unpretentious.  {Taylor, I think you visited our school once - many, many years ago.]

Cross curricular activities and co planning and open ended learning are the ways to get and keep kids engaged in learning!!! I spent a year in Costa Rica with my 4th and 6th graders and sent them to an internation school that, except for science and the machete class, was way too much like school back on Lomg Island. My wife and I started home schooling instead, using learning retreats that were multi disciplinary and had kids in it from ages 6 to 13... They were able to be creative and decide how they were going to demonstrate learning. We used nature hikes, beach clean ups, video making and world issues to create an all encompassing environment that promoted student centered learning... We need more of this in the USA... Someone needs to take a risk... the old ways aren't always the best ways...

Beautiful! I love your middle school and so will your students. 

I love this explanation of exploratory education in a structured and meaningful curriculum! Students struggle with so much just trying to learn things that they simply don't connect to life learning. When learning a curriculum designed specifically for career investigation and exploration, we are teaching life lessons and supporting students sparks! So inspirational! THANK YOU! (P.S. When you get this started, I would love to work with you!)

In my middle school orchestra, we are in this mindset. Students can write arrangements of music they listen to on their smart devices. They use their own apps for tuning the instrument before playing; metronomes for keeping a steady beat. Student maintain a practice journal in which they reflect and log information on their practice and the ensemble work. They audition for performing jobs in the county's Honor Orchestra, to perform for special school events, and for the performing arts programs around the county.These are adult musician behaviors. This is why I love to teach middle school orchestra! Thank you for talking about your vision for the middle school community.