Agents for Change: How Middle School English Encourages Student Voice

By Marisa Procopio

Reading lists, handed from teacher to student, have been central to education over centuries, a tradition so entrenched that one might easily take it for granted.

But what if students were allowed — encouraged, even — to choose the books, rather than their teachers, for a class to read and learn? Would it end in tears and anarchy? Or would the class become livelier, more engaged and excited by the work ahead?

Research conducted by Agnes Irwin’s Center for the Advancement of Girls provides a strong case for student agency, finding that this is how girls learn best. So the Middle School made a change: In English classes, student selections now outnumber those chosen by teachers.

“The years from age 9 to 14 are so important in developing your identity and clarifying your values as an individual, and how they interplay with the values of your school, your faith community, your family, your neighborhood,” said Director of Middle School Corey Willingham. “How you make sense of that is often through writing.”

Reading often informs one’s writing style and voice, she added, yet the prior English curriculum didn’t offer students enough “opportunities to make choices in the classroom about what they learn and how they learn it.”

“What we’re combating is a culture of compliance,” Willingham said. “Handing over the reins to the girls and saying, ‘You’re in charge of this. Persuade me on anything,’ instead of having it be teacher-directed, helps girls practice this sense of agency.”

The curriculum updated in 2024-2025, and Middle School English teachers say they’ve noticed a new spirit in the classroom: When students get to select a topic for writing, each step of the process — engagement, effort and results — becomes elevated.

“We could immediately see more interest in the subject,” said sixth- and seventh-grade teacher Maya Teredesai. “It’s helping students get at something they can really argue. I see them exploring their voice more and taking more risks when they get to choose the topic.”

Middle School English emphasizes many forms, including informative, narrative and persuasive writing. One of Teredesai’s projects, for instance, challenges students to entice their classmates to read a beloved book. Each submission is then posted on a bulletin board — a youthful version of Goodreads.

“Purpose is what’s often guided my lesson-planning,” Teredesai said. “But I’m much more mindful about passion now, too — about students figuring out their own voice, gaining independence from their teacher.”

For his persuasive writing assignments, seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher James A. Bolden, Jr., offers students prompts, and the girls take it from there. The class discusses the relevance of evidence, forming a thesis statement, and advancing an argument to a logical conclusion. Along the way, students build trust in their ability and develop more self-esteem.

“If you came in thinking you were not a strong writer, we’re going to dispel that notion, because it is not true,” Bolden said. “Students become more confident as writers and as critical thinkers.”

Critical thinking also comes to bear in peer editing, in which classmates examine one another’s writing and provide encouragement and suggestions. While the practice helps writers hone their point, it also benefits the reader, through exposure to more voices and ways to communicate through writing.

“If a student sees that another student can do something at a very high level, they think, ‘I can do that too,’ ” Bolden said.

As they take the reins, Middle School students are seeing their skills evolve and believing themselves capable of powerful works.

“It’s been a challenge to write. Writing is hard, but I think that I have definitely improved,” said seventh-grader Elsa Reese ’31. “By the end of this year, I will be — well, I’m hoping to be — this amazing English student.”

Learning to write compellingly “can be about a small topic that you do in class, but it can turn into something big, something that’s going to be important,” said seventh-grader Ellie Doerner ’31. “And maybe one day, you’ll be writing articles that people all around the world will see, persuading them to do something good.”