At William Davies Middle School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, the clatter of keyboards and hum of camera equipment isn’t background noise—it’s the sound of students finding their voice. At the center of it all is Mark Kowalski, a former journalist turned middle school media and technology teacher, who believes in doing what it takes to reach his students everyday—even if that means standing on his desk.
“I can say definitively that when I come into school, I will stand on the desk to get the kids to learn,” Mark says with a laugh. “If that’s what it’s going to take, I want to do that because their time with me is so important.”
Mark’s path to education wasn’t a straight line. He started in human resources at McDonald’s at just 18, then worked in radio, wrote for a major newspaper, and produced content for national and local news networks. But after years in the field, he felt called to something more lasting: the classroom. “It’s been a journey,” he says. “But I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Mark’s class at Davies isn’t your typical middle school tech course. In his classes, Mark has facilitated the creation of Dragon Student News, a student-run YouTube channel that has become the most-watched middle school channel in New Jersey, boasting nearly 2,000 subscribers and approaching 600,000 accumulative views. These numbers reflect more than engagement—they represent belief. “They did that with four cameras,” he says. “I trusted the kids, and they produced incredible stuff.”
But the heart of Mark’s impact lies not in flashy metrics but in the quiet transformation of his students. “Even the quietest kids […] through video, through animation, through scriptwriting, through photography—it’s just amazing to see,” he says. “I’ve seen so many of our quietest students and our most vulnerable and our most at-risk students be engaged with what we’re doing and want to learn more.”
For Mark, media arts are more than just enrichment—they’re essential. He’s teaching students not only how to edit video or write a script but how to think critically, collaborate, and communicate. “I teach news, I teach film, I teach journalistic ethics,” he explains. “But I’m also teaching career and technical skills. We’re giving students those opportunities in middle school—and that is unheard of.”
In a post-pandemic world where students face academic and social gaps, Mark’s approach feels especially urgent. He recalls being surprised by just how much basic tech knowledge students lacked after years of virtual learning. “I thought these kids were going to be whizzes,” he says. “But we had to start with the basics—how to navigate email, how to find a file. We’re overcoming that hurdle, and we’re making gains.”
When asked about screen time—a common concern for parents and educators—Mark doesn’t shy away. “It’s what we do when we’re on the screen,” he says. “In my class, screen time is productive. It’s building on what they learn in other classes. It’s setting them up for a future career.”
Perhaps what’s most remarkable is Mark’s vulnerability and humility. He shares a story about a recent photography unit, where a student corrected him on the meaning of aperture. Instead of brushing it off, Mark embraced it. “You are 100% right,” he told the student. “That builds on our community.”
This philosophy—of learning alongside his students rather than above them—defines his leadership. “Believe in the students,” Mark says simply. “That’s an incredible launching point.”
He credits his success not just to his own passion but to the community around him. From fellow teachers to administrators to parents who proudly share Dragon Student News on social media, Mark knows he’s not in this alone. “I’m biased,” he jokes, “but I think I work in the best district in the nation.”
Still, at the core of everything is the relationship he builds with his students. “We are a class family,” he says. “All 120 of us.”
In a time when public education is often under fire, Mark Kowalski’s classroom stands as a powerful counterpoint—a place of creativity, inclusion, and belief. His students don’t just learn media arts; they learn that their voices matter, that their ideas are worth sharing, and that they are capable of greatness.
And if that means their teacher has to stand on a desk to prove it? Well, so be it.
Listen to our entire conversation with Mark on this week’s episode of the Education Leadership Edge podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.