There’s this idea that the definition of school starts and ends with what the US Department of Education defines as a “school.” No doubt this conjures up images of brick buildings with chalk eraser dust imprinted on the side of the building. You think of busy hallways, partially-frozen pizza square lunches, tests and number-2 pencils. For some though it’s more than that. Some think of bullies, being lost in the crowd, frustratingly slow days and anxiety-driven test taking.
Whatever memories the word school brings up for you, remember that it is not just a noun (think educational facility) but is a verb. It is the action of learning a new school or being exposed to a new perspective and applying that new knowledge into our lives.
Betwixt Democratic Middle School is designed not with the institution of education in mind, but with the understanding that the action of being schooled, learning as a lifelong endeavor to better ourselves, is only in-part the academics of mathematics and literature, and it isn’t defined by four walls.
