Finding Treasure in the Dip
My son loves treasure, he is like a dragon that is attracted to small shiny objects and he can’t resist the pull of the precious. He always has a coin, rock, or something curious in his pockets and often we find his stash under his pillow at bedtime or more often than not in our washing machine. Treasure is this magical thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pile of coins, a pack of gum, or a book that we love, treasure is anything greatly valued or highly prized.
We talk a lot about treasure at Acton specifically as a stage of the hero’s journey when learners reflect on their own journeys and inspiring historical figures. It’s well known in the studio that a hero’s treasure isn’t always gems or a trophy (although those can be nice), a hero’s treasure may be beautiful character revealed, friendship, or a product of hard work. A more recent idea that a learner shared is treasure can be memories of those we love and our journey with them. After a great Launch discussion of Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros many learners agreed that their memories are prized treasures, especially memories of challenge and overcoming fears. The challenge values the treasure.
Just yesterday a Discovery learner earned a badge and this returning learner gave advice to his fellow travelers. He shared “It’s really tough to earn a badge but you just have to keep with it. I was in the dip for a while and kept getting pulled down by distractions and I wanted to give up but I didn’t. You just have to keep going and then you get your reward. It feels really good.” You might be wondering what the “dip” is. It’s your dark moment when you feel like giving up, when everything isn’t going right. I’d like to argue that it is the part of your journey that defines you. Here’s an example of how the dip can call for change at Acton.
These past three weeks both studios have been trying promises, testing guardrails, and the process of building and operating their experimental studio systems is messy. To say it frank, self governance is tough and learners have been getting frustrated. One new learner in Discovery has been palpably frustrated and outright annoyed by a group of learners who are often loud, overly energetic, and often off task. Over the course of the week she seemed to dive into the dip with frustration. Monday she gave reminders and then walked away, Tuesday she gave more with greater wit, Wednesday she held learners accountable and thoroughly explained her stance and they definitely didn’t care, this Thursday she toughened up shared clear evidence, got a group of fellow travelers, and did not relent until change was seen! The studio was behind her and learners were noticing. This learner found her treasure, confident leadership, and the studio found treasure as well. They found systems of accountability and our most coveted Acton treasure: self governance.
As a parent, you may hear stories of your child’s challenges with guardrails, Khan Academy, mastering Bob books, or resisting a distracting friend. What should you do? Listen, empathize, perhaps provide a pep talk of belief, or you can guide your child to systems and resources that will support their journey. Point to fellow travelers, running teams, Town Hall meetings, and more. What’s most important is not to take over, resist giving them the governance strategy and step back from cleaning up their mess! As a parent stepping back may be your “dip”, your greatest and darkest challenge. Remember, when your child achieves without your help but with your support their bursting smile of knowing they pushed through is the greatest treasure of all. You too can do hard things and find your magical moments of dragon coin treasure with your child.
“Never fear the shadows, they simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.” —Winnie the Pooh