A Geography of the Middle School Mind

John Werner is fascinated with maps. He collects them, frames them and hangs them up where he can study the visual representation of space. "You can divide the world into people who love maps, and then everyone else," Werner says. "It's fun to look at maps to understand where we are in relation to things."

Werner is interested in both physical geography and in the social experience of space. He calls himself a "connector," a "start up guy" who brings people together to interact with each other and with the material surroundings of the places where they learn, work and live. This year, for instance, he has been organizing the TEDxBoston 2011 Adventures, an ongoing series of activities that gets TED conference participants out into the city of Boston to feel and celebrate the region. He says these outside "adventures" help to bond conference participants through a common encounter that ultimately enhances their association and interactions in future events such as the TEDx Boston conference.

Making such connections has become the major focus of Werner's mission as the Chief Mobilizer for Citizen Schools, an educational nonprofit that expands the learning of sixth through eighth graders in 20 cities across seven states in the US. Most middle schoolers simply don't know where they are in relation to things—historically, physically, interpersonally and in relation to the businesses that play a pivotal role in society. And they are getting little help in overcoming this disadvantage. According to Werner, middle school has become the "neglected years of American education," a kind of abandoned territory that cries out for some civilizing influences.

"We created these schools for sixth, seventh and eighth graders and didn't really think of the consequences," he says. "But it's a real critical point, and a hard time in education. There's a huge need to work with this age group because during this time, students mentally drop out of school, preventing them from achieving success when they reach high school."

The old philosophy of education, especially in urban areas, was to keep the outside world at bay while quiet learning went on in the classroom. But considering that students spend 80 percent of their time outside of school, a more compete form of education, Werner argues, puts students in productive contact with the full, physical reality of their surroundings. That's why Citizen Schools opens up the classroom doors and brings the real world in where students can see it, touch it, speak to it, move with it and experience it.

Citizen Schools partners with middle schools through specialized apprenticeship training programs. Volunteer "citizens" form a "second shift" of educators who teach kids about their own professions, and in turn, get kids excited about what they can do to build the world around them. Volunteers work directly with students and gain their trust while helping them to set goals and produce tangible projects.

"Everyone should know stuff and have access to information and feel smart and share it with other people," he says. "A lot of middle schoolers have never met an engineer, or people who actually do things in the real world. They don't see why the things they're learning are helping them; they don't see the benefit of being lifelong learners."

The trick, of course, is to attract the professionals who want to share what they know. But since its inception in 1995, Citizen Schools has had phenomenal success doing just that. The organization has attracted 22,000 volunteers to offer their time and expertise to this vulnerable and fledgling group of kids. And although Werner's skills as a "connector" have been a major force behind the program, he attributes most of Citizen Schools' accomplishments to the endearing charm of the students it serves.

"Middle schoolers are not these huge kids that are intimidating to volunteers," Werner says. "In middle school, they're kind of cute. The fire in their eyes hasn't been put out. They haven't checked out. They still get excited about random things and have so much potential to be successful."

In this vibrant setting, Citizen Schools creates an atmosphere of rich communication, where students can showcase their projects, find adults that they "click with" and discover ways to become invested in their own education. They develop their own maps, so to speak, for the routes they will take through high school and beyond. To Werner, it's the ultimate lesson in geography.

www.citizenschools.org

@johnkwerner