Chapter 1: Is the Zombie Apocalypse Upon Us?

A desert of silence. Trapped in a cage. Isolation from other human beings. Zombies walking in droves to their next brain-deadening experience. As much as I would like to reveal that this is the description of an episode of the Walking Dead, it is in fact what it was like to step into the shoes of a ninth-grade student for one day through the “Shadow a Student Challenge.” I only had to endure it for one day, they have to endure this experience 188 days a year. The Shadow a Student Challenge is a national initiative in education developed by School Retool. The purpose of this initiative is for educators to experience school through the lens of the student experience. Participants shadow a student by immersing themselves completely in the student experience, which means no walkie-talkies for administrators, dressing the part, carrying the book bag, eating lunch in the lunchroom, and doing all that the student is asked to do in classes. This experience is for educators who are driven by reimagining the school experience, which begins by experiencing school from the student perspective.