On Friday, March 10, eighth graders at Wood Middle School started the morning with DEW Day. DEW stands for Democratic Education at Wood. It was a unique and engaging experience for us, because it allowed studnts to be in a position in which we could either teach or learn from our peers. “The concept is that classes are taught by learners,” said Mr. Nguyen, the teacher who first brought the idea to Wood. Often, students learn as much as they teach, especially about leadership skills and responsibility. It is truly an innovative way for the students to learn these important attributes of budding adults.

“DEW Day was really a great thing to do because it gave students a chance to try out new things and have the students who lead the class get an idea of what teaching is like,” 
said eighth grader Emma Grimaldi.

There were eight classes to choose from, and each student attended four of them. The classes included Ping Pong, Sushi Making, Improv, Korean Culture, Drawing Humans and Animals, Intro to Football and a few more. The student-led classes started with attendance roll then lessons began. The student teachers were responsible for planning the lessons and preparing supplies. It gave them a new appreciation for what teachers must do to prepare and engage the students. 

The classes were 50 minutes long, and each pair of students had a schedule for their four periods. Afterwards, students celebrated in the cafeteria with a Mardi Gras-themed potluck. Beignets, king’s cake and lots more were spread out along tables.

The day ended with mousetrap car races. Special guests included a rally race car, a Tesla Model S and even an automobile shaped like a snail, all parked outside for students to explore in anticipation of the races. Teams designed and built mousetrap powered cars, then competed to win prizes for speed, distance and creativity.   

Overall, DEW Day was a very educational and fun experience that taught students leadership skills and allowed them to learn something new. It also strengthened the community because all the students contributed to the potluck, and it was something a little different from normal days at the school.