Finding Fellow Travelers
The hero’s journey is not a clear path, it is a mountainous journey with peaks and valleys equally full of challenge and treasure. Learners at Acton are regularly referred to as heroes and one stage of the hero’s journey is finding fellow travelers. Your child is encouraged to find like-minded travelers at school that are willing to help when times are tough, cheer towards the finish line, and celebrate the process of the journey. As an Acton parent YOU are a hero too and you have many fellow traveler parents ready to connect with you on your hero’s journey.
At Acton we are committed to tinkering until we find a system that works! This year we started a Parent Council. Just like at school, council is a group of model learners ready to share their experience, point to pathways of excellence, and cheer you on as fellow travelers. We asked these parent heroes to share nuggets of advice and lessons learned and below are their gems…
Jason (Boone’s Dad): As an Acton parent my greatest lesson learned, and still learning, is the importance of giving up my desire to control what our learner does, how he behaves, and how he achieves and to trust in the Acton learning process. One gem of advice would be to allow and respect that failure leads to awesome opportunities and successes.
Macey (Lyla & Margo’s Mom): As an Acton parent, my biggest lesson learned is to “let go.” Such as, let go of the limiting beliefs I was taught in my own schooling and childhood, let go of me needing my children to act/appear a certain way, let go of pushing them into certain activities that don’t bring them joy. I’m still learning to do this day by day and it’s so difficult!
My advice for Acton families is to practice patience and embrace the hardships with compassion and empathy for both your learner and the guides/directors. Sometimes it’s so frustrating feeling like your child should be excelling in math, reading, etc and the natural reaction is to push and pry or even blame. After being in this school for a few years, I’m always blown away by how amazing these kids are and the growth they have shown over the years. Anyone can learn to read/write/math; however our Acton kids are learning so much more, they are being given tools that are going to set them apart in the years to come.
Kelly (Lucas & Joelle’s Mom): Choosing Acton for our kids led to much more growth and transformation for us (as parents) than we ever expected. We realized that our desire to be deeply involved and micromanage came from fear—fear that they’d miss milestones, fall behind, or that we’d fail them. But when we let go of that control and supported them in new ways, their progress became more significant and measurable. It’s an ongoing process, and we struggle with it daily, but stepping back and embracing the discomfort has led to powerful growth for all of us. Lean in and trust. Trust your learner, the guides, and the process. Know that when you're feeling periods of discomfort, frustration, and challenges - every family that has walked before you or is currently walking alongside you has experienced the same!
Mandi (Xavier’s Mom): The greatest lesson I have learned as an Acton parent is to trust that the journey my Learner is on is right for him. In times of doubt, this continues to show itself in surprising ways! My advice to families at Acton is to understand the importance of having patience. Wonderful things can happen when given time.
Fellow travelers are gifts. Did a parent share a thought that resonates with you? Are you desiring deeper connection on your Acton journey? Are you curious, nervous, excited, frustrated, confused? If your answer is yes, log in to the Family Portal and reach out to any of your 7 Parent Council members. We promise that connection is the key!