Part of Falk’s mission as a progressive and whole-child school is to help students understand who they are and what they need as learners. Two years ago, the Middle School team implemented What I Need, or WIN, to center this mission and help students take meaningful steps toward lifelong learning. 

During WIN, students are offered a number of choices, including pre-teaching and review sessions for core classes, meeting with teachers, organizing planners, and working quietly on homework. Each period, they begin by reviewing their current and upcoming assignments and making a decision about how to spend the next forty minutes. 

In an overview shared with Falk Middle School in 2023, faculty emphasized that “The WIN period will not be identical for every student. It is really about what you need to focus on.” Michael Yalch, a Middle School math teacher, calls this concept “autonomy with intentionality.” In contrast to Middle School advisories, which meet briefly each day to foster community, WIN is a time for individual reflection and an opportunity for students to tackle the unique challenges they face as learners. 

If a student knows they need support in math or Spanish, for instance, they can schedule a one-on-one chat with a teacher or make plans to attend a review session. The beauty of WIN, Yalch explains, is that instead of overlapping with other classes, it occurs during teacher prep time, leaving teachers available to connect with their students. 

Those in search of enrichment opportunities can also use the time to dive deeper into a particular subject or take advantage of resources like Duolingo and logic puzzles to build new skills. In this way, the flexible period encourages self-awareness and independence, promoting healthy habits that students can continue to use in high school and beyond. 

Having WIN within the school day is also an equitable practice, Yalch adds. “For kids who can’t get in at 7:30 a.m., can’t stay for Extended Day, can’t afford Extended Day—whatever it might be—we have it built into the day for them, and that’s huge.” 

Since its implementation at the Middle School level two years ago, WIN has also expanded to a few Intermediate (3–5) classes. According to Yalch, the program already serves as a predictable and fruitful time for students; in the spirit of lifelong learning and innovation, however, faculty are continuing to perfect the program’s structure by thinking critically about things like frequency, scheduling, and how to ensure students make impactful choices. “WIN is working,” he says, “and I’m excited to think about where it can go.”