“I don’t want to just talk about making a difference. I want to actually make a difference one day. That’s why my dream is to become president and be able to help all these other countries,” said Justin, a TCS sixth grade student.
And with those words, Justin, a TCS sixth grade student, clearly illustrates how at TCS we’re striving to tap into the power of adolescence with our middle years philosophy and push back against the idea that these crucial development years should be a time when students simply feel “stuck in the middle.”
When TCS made the decision to expand to the eighth grade in May 2016, Nishant made the announcement to our school community and said: “The adolescent years are critical years in any child’s life… The journey to adulthood is not quite complete, and these middle years throw every contrast and challenge at our students, leaving them feeling unsure, awkward, unmoored and weary, but also strong, curious, adventurous and seeking a clear identity and purpose… Many expect less of this age or just try and get the children through the awkwardness. At TCS, we firmly believe our children expect more of us and want more to be expected of them.” (Read the full announcement from Nishant here.)
At TCS, our students have the opportunity to discover their passions and purpose, taking our learnings beyond the traditional class structure. Our school experience actively supports identity development and independence, allowing our students to learn through meaningful, real-world experiences with community partners like New American Pathways, MoDA and the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
“I first became involved with the IRC in my sixth grade class. The experience really impacted me and so I’ve continued to give back and volunteer with the IRC outside of school,” said Ava, a TCS sixth grade student.
The commitment, engagement and passion these early adolescents demonstrate runs counter to the “whatever” stereotype of the middle schooler and counter to our traditional notion of the school experience. We all know the common symptoms of adolescence: grappling with identity, increased conflict with adults, hyper-fixation on social concerns, increasingly risky behaviors. But given voice, conflict with adults engenders a natural empathy for issues of social justice and equity in the broader world. The persistent obsession with social status attunes the adolescent to economic disparity and issues of social access.
These empathies make TCS’s unique, immersive approach to the project-based experience a powerful model to help students capitalize on these traits, engage in real-world problems, and give a powerful motivation to learn, and most importantly apply, the content, skills and topics of a curriculum.
As we continue to tap into the power of adolescence, we give our students the tools to better understand their community and the world around them and the desire to make a difference, or as Justin said, even become president one day.
