When I think about my school, I often wonder how I would do as a student. Would I enjoy coming to school every day? Is there a teacher or adult on campus that I could talk to if I had a problem or question? What group would I fit in? What club or organization would I belong to? Will I like my teachers? Will this school provide me the education/help I need?

These questions are only a few of the things that a middle school student thinks about. These are the questions we must have answers too. "Students at this age really want to flex their academic muscles and to feel competent and effective in the classroom. At the same time, they feel an equally strong pull to develop social connections in their peer group. The secret of a great middle school classrooms is allowing them to fulfill both of these pressing developmental needs." (Fires in the Middle School Bathroom, Kathleen Cushman, Laura Rogers, pg. 27) 

Do my classrooms allow them to do both?