Is it because teachers control so little of the decisions that go into day to day curriculum decisions? Or is it because teachers are frustrated that they are in such a rut about curriculum...dancing to the test prep and assessment beat...with little or no excitement for the engaging things they used to do with kids. How have we gotten so far away from the basic middle level principles in the curriculum area?
A challenge. What if every middle level teacher spent half their class time engaging their students in work that originates from the many questions (powerful and compelling) they have about themselves and the world. Twenty-five years ago, Joan Lipsitz wrote in her powerful book, Successful Schools for Young Adolescents, that exemplary middle level schools could deliver on the two things that the public wants...high test scores and disciplined student behavior AND do so when kids were involved in an authentic curriculum. Learning about important things that grabbed their attention and made them excited about learning.
