Check out this dichotomy: “These (middle school) kids are such a mix of intellectual capacity, malleability, and passion. They have an interest in taking moral action and fixing everything wrong with the world, and yet they are complicated and can create major drama in their own social lives that’s inconsistent with their heightened sense of justice.” (Kris, Mindshift)
Hence, it only makes sense that we’d give our students the opportunity to “Create a Candidate” as part of their Global Citizens program. In fact, this opportunity unites studies in Social Studies, Language Arts, Global Languages, and Art, taking advantage of flex scheduling and workshop time, totally enacting the 4 C’s of learning, all with a focus of affecting the future. Peruse photos here. And, realize that such an approach with scheduling and workshops is an excellent preparation for our high school block schedule. Students are not learning just in seat time; instead, they are being trained to “both recognize and respond to social problems, be able to both communicate and research tough questions, and take action on the issues they are passionate about” (Newsela), thus preparing them for the rigors of secondary education and the challenges of the workforce.
Read more about helping your children build confidence and character in this Mindshift article.