Don is a humanities educator starting his 23rd year at Main Street Middle School in Montpelier, Vermont. After spending 17 years teaching language arts and social studies, Don has created, with youth partners, the MSMS_Sustain sustainability program. Spanning grades 5-8, this project and community based program focuses on the elements and challenges of creating sustainable communities. His attempts to make education relevant include the development of curriculum tied to sustainability, social justice, integrated literacy, and technology. In addition to his classroom duties he directs Middle Grades Conversations, is an adjunct instructor at Saint Michael's College, and a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. When not working on his craft, Don can be found spending time with his family enjoying Vermont's outdoor, cultural, and community offerings. He is an avid angler, reader, and runner who believes that, "It's not where you start, it's where you finish."
Meg teaches humanities to 7th and 8th grade students at Shelburne Community School in Shelburne, Vermont, where she has taught since 1994. Meg cherishes the opportunity to co-create meaningful learning experiences with students and colleagues, with a particular lens on opportunities that foster community and instill social justice and equity. Meg is passionate about middle level education, as demonstrated by her years teaching, her commitment to partnering with students and colleagues, and her engagement in professional organizations that promote middle level practices. She is a long-time board member of the Vermont Association for Middle Level Education (VAMLE), a participant and practitioner at the Middle Grades Institute, and a regular contributor to Middle Grades Conversations. She holds her national board certification as a middle level generalist, and just recently received her Master of Education. Meg lives in Richmond, Vermont with her patient husband Mark, two active sons, Evan(19) and Sam (16), and three cats!
Katy is an Assistant Professor of Education at Saint Michael's College. She has taught fifth grade at Stowe Elementary, and sixth grade at Rumney Memorial School. Prior to teaching at Stowe, Katy was a professional development coordinator at the University of Vermont, Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education where she conducted research about adolescent education and partners with schools to help them personalize learning, engage students, and participate in action research. She is the author of five books about education including most recently: Real Talk for New Teachers: Tools for a Sustainable Career (Routledge, 2025), and is a co-author of Personalized Learning in the Middle Grades (2019) as well as several chapters and journal articles. Katy was a classroom teacher for 19 years and regularly presents her research at state and national conferences. She is passionate about promoting student and teacher voice, engaging early adolescent students, sharing the power of service learning, and creating inclusive communities where joy, courageous conversations and kindness are the norm.
Andrea Gratton is a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher at Brownington Central School in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. With 15 years of experience in middle level education, Andrea has taught language arts, social studies and a co-taught humanities program. She also serves on the board for the Vermont Association of Middle Level Education and contributes to the monthly MGC Conversations. She is passionate about collaborating with students, personalized learning, and teaching through the lens of social justice. Andrea's work has been shared at local and national conferences and is used as exemplars in undergraduate education programs. When not busy dreaming about how to improve middle level education, Andrea enjoys playing, coaching, and watching soccer, listening to podcasts, and creating digital art.
Kyle Chadburn currently serves as the Access & Opportunities Coordinator for the Orleans Central Supervisory Union in northern Vermont, a role he has held for the past three years. He taught middle level Humanities for 12 years, designing student-centered, personalized learning opportunities that incorporated student activism, focused on issues of social justice, and embedded student voice, choice, and collaboration. Kyle received his Master's Degree in Education, as well as a certificate in Holistic Restorative Education, from St. Michael's College. He has provided professional learning opportunities for fellow educators through his work with the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, Vermont Higher Education Collaborative, the national Association for Middle Level Education, and the Vermont Association for Middle Level Education, for which he is the Executive Director. Kyle lives in Coventry, Vermont with his wife Sarah and their two dogs, Finley and Nola. He enjoys performing and recording as a musician, writing, and spending time exploring in the woods.
MGC Conversations is a collaboration of MGC faculty and middle grades educators who meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues related to middle level education. All of our conversations are posted to the Middle Grades Collaborative YouTube channel. To join the conversation, please contact Don Taylor at dont@mpsvt.org.
The 2026-27 Middle Grades Conversation series continues to build professional learning community with middle level educators. Middle Grades Conversations will bring educators together to discuss building supportive learning communities, engage learners and families and integrate equity-based antiracist teaching into our practices. This year, we will also reconnect with our Middle Grades Institute participants throughout the fall to collaborate, support and hear results from action research projects.
Episode 1: Starting the Year: Building Community, September 24, 3:15pm
This month’s webinar will focus on how educators are working to engage students, connecting with families and bringing the community into the classroom to develop relationships. We will hear how equity, identity work, advisory and building relationships are implemented through advisory and classroom activities.
Episode 2: Strategies for Engagement: Student Voice and Choice, October 22, 3:15pm
As the new year begins, we will refocus on adolescent development, reflect on strategies that have successfully engaged students and what educators and learning communities are doing to develop rigorous, relevant learning activities that incorporate student voice, choice and self-directed learning.
Episode 3: Personal Learning Plans and Personalized Learning, November 12, 3:15pm
This month we will discuss efforts being made to implement and maintain personal learning plans, how learning communities are addressing personalized learning and reflect on student growth and learning. Additional topics may include student-led conferences, reflection strategies and goal setting
Episode 4: Middle Grades Institute: Reporting Action research, December 10, 3:15pm
Our December conversation will reconnect with our Middle Grades Institute work. We will reflect on progress made by Middle Grades Institute participants on their action research project and touch base on current issues in classroom communities.
Episode 5: Equity, Anti-Racism and Social Justice, January 14, 3:15pm
We revisit core principles of social justice, equity and anti-racism with a focus on strategies designed to create inclusive, just and joyful learning environments. Additionally, we’ll discuss the current political climate, how DEI initiatives are faring, and what teachers and schools are doing to maintain equity and social justice.
Episode 6: SEL and Trauma Informed Teaching Practices, February 11, 3:15
As we start the new year, we’ll have a conversation about social emotional learning, the structures in place to support student growth and learning and how trauma informed practices are being implemented by practitioners in order to support all students. We’ll connect this to post-pandemic events, common sources of trauma in our communities and hear how students, teachers, families and schools are building resiliency.
Episode 7: Project and Service Based Learning, March 11, 3:15pm
This month we will discuss project, service and community based learning. Participants will identify critical elements and considerations implementing project based learning. Additionally, we will review how project and service based learning can enhance student learning and community connections.
Episode 8: Digital Citizenship, Technology, and AI, April 8, 3:15pm
With the onset of AI and the challenges presented by technology, what and how are practitioners doing to promote responsible digital use and citizenship? How has AI entered the classroom and your professional development?
Episode 9: Reflecting on the Year – Preview of the Institute, May 13, 3:15pm
As is our annual tradition, for our final webinar we will reflect on the year. Did we meet our goals? What was different about this year than others? What is our outlook for the future and how do our practices continue to evolve?