Leveraging Learning

 It started with a request for some pipe cleaners on the last day of school. Most kids were playing games or chatting, but Kaila was watching a tutorial on how to make flowers. A few other kids stopped playing Uno to check out her work and were impressed with the outcome. "How did you do that?," they wondered. "I found a video," was Kaila's simple reply. At SLA-MS, we have a class called Rover in which kids can make projects of their choosing. For some, it's a hoop-jumping moment of making a project because it is required. For others, like Kaila, its journey of pursuing things that are interesting. Last year, she wrote and illustrated a book, she grew a red pepper plant and she made her pipe cleaner flowers even after the grades were closed. While other kids were forcing themselves to make slideshows that even they were not interested in, Kaila stayed busy.  Why are some middle school students busier than others? I recently spent time with my two year old gr...