My father died in March of 2016. He suffered from Lewy body Dementia, and if he hadn’t been ill, he would have spent his last days on the farm. It was the piece of land on which he was born. Literally. After my father completed the eighth grade in the late 1940s, he had the option to leave school, and he did just that. School had no relevance to his passion for farming or his dream of building a bowling alley. His decision not to complete high school weighed on him emotionally at times. He would make comments about “not being smart” because he did not continue a formal education. Hold on to that phrase, “formal education.”
As I reflect on my father’s life, I see the innovative traits he possessed that the school system could not recognize or address. Formal education in post-World War II society tried to force students to fit into predetermined boxes. My dad did not fit in those boxes. I am aware that he needed some basic skills to function in daily life, and he certainly felt the same way. But my father is like thousands, maybe millions, of students today who feel like they don’t fit the system.
If you are wondering if he accomplished his goals, he did. During the day, he was a dairy farmer and grew corn and soybeans. This was something he loved to do. He was also highly skilled at fixing machinery with very few resources. His childhood poverty had taught him to never throw away anything that might be useful again—especially equipment or parts. To see him find a chain, sprocket, or running gear from unused equipment was fascinating. I didn’t realize as a young boy just how innovative he was.
What about the bowling alley? He fulfilled that dream as well. With only an eighth-grade education, my father not only started a business but organized the construction of the entire structure. He ordered railroad cars full of cement bags to mix the foundation. He asked people in the community to help bring in each bowling lane. The newspaper covered the event in 1961. I hadn’t yet been born, but the photos I saw later brought the story to life for me.
I want you to think about formal education today. Does our education system force students to fit its parameters? Who should drive an education—the student or the system? What will it take to revolutionize our education system so that it addresses the needs of each learner who walks our halls?
We believe a revolution has begun at a small scale. Educators are beginning to see the need for change as they witness students giving up on their education and dropping out. Kids are asking us to make their education relevant to their lives because they don’t feel like they fit the system they are in. Teachers want to be more than curricular robots. They want their jobs to have value; they crave the chance to create. Revolution is stirring, but more revolution@ries are needed to facilitate change. We see it happening in our schools. You will read about real revolutions at Harrisburg South Middle School in South Dakota, my South Family. Derek will tell you about the revolution from his previous school in North Carolina and the changes that took place during the three years leading up to his move back home to Georgia in 2018. The following chapters and words will not only speak of this revolution, but they will also show you how it’s unfolding.
For us, this revolution starts in the middle.
#revoltLAP (revolt Like A Pirate)
Introduction
One of the many blessings of my (Derek) professional life was being asked to give a co-keynote address in 2015 at the American Middle Level Educators Conference in Austin with my good friend John Bernia (@MrBernia). Being asked to speak was a humbling experience, but sharing the stage with a good friend as we discussed our excitement about middle schools was as emotionally overwhelming as the energy from the crowd. Sharing this moment with thousands of people who loved middle school as much as we did was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
On my return trip home, I struck up a conversation with a woman at the airport while we were waiting to get screened. I won’t forget this day. We were making the typical waiting-in-line-at-the-airport small talk. At some point she asked me why I was in Austin, and I told her I was a middle school principal and had been in town for a middle school conference. I’ll never forget her reaction and tone. It went from light curiosity to flat, dry humor as she said, “God bless you because I couldn’t deal with all those middle schoolers.” If you have been a middle school educator for years like I have, you have no doubt heard this same reaction. Like I’ve done so many times before, I offered her my usual responses: “I hear you” and “It’s not that bad.”
After leaving the screening area, the exchange lingered in my mind. I’d had a great time at the conference, so why did I respond to that woman the way I did? Why did I laugh at her derision?
Here is a fact—I love middle school.
I truly can’t see myself working at another level. I loved my time as a middle school reading and math teacher because it helped me be a better parent. I loved my time as curriculum coach and assistant principal because I knew I was making a difference with a fun age group. Now I have another great job I am extremely proud of—middle school principal. I work with great educators and students who are learning about themselves, growing their independence, and finding their places in the world. Why was I making light of this awesome role and institution? I was dishonoring the very people John and I had just spoken to at the conference.
Not long after that trip to Austin, I embarked on a mission to change some of those general misconceptions about middle school and share the profound improvements happening right now in the areas of middle school teaching and learning.
I can’t tell you how great it’s been to work beside Darren on this project. Not only have we become great friends, but we also sync on two main points:
1 We believe that the systems and practices of middle school [and all of K–16] that we have inherited from past generations aren’t doing our learners, teachers, community, or our world any good. Industrial age education doesn’t work in an information age.
2 We believe it’s time for a revolution. Great things are happening at the middle school level:
Learners are choosing their learning paths.
Students are engaging in global conversations about things that will absolutely be part of their future.
Middle school learners can advocate for themselves and for topics they are passionate about.
Teachers are challenging students to be creative and innovative in how they think about and solve problems.
We are empowering students in settings and with resources that will not only challenge them to reach new levels, but will also give them the space and freedom to be as creative as they need to be.
In this book we are going to share the work we do in our schools that is changing and challenging education, particularly middle school education. We are going to share how innovative teaching, technological integration and enhancements, personalized learning, and the evolving role of educators and other leaders are reshaping how our middle school learners are succeeding. We are also going to challenge you to rethink what is being done at your schools and inside your classrooms!
Our hope is that the fear and apprehension our parents and community members have about middle schools will be replaced with an admiration for the incredible transformations that are happening there and an urgency to create learning environments that will help schools produce generations of problem solvers and activists that will change THEIR world. We hope that all of K–12 will be inspired to take a critical look at the “whats” and “hows” we guard so closely in our schools to determine if they’re reflecting the “why” of education. As