Fresh Eyes
Imagine this…you put on a magical pair of glasses that when you look through the lenses they give you the ability to see the world with fresh eyes. Your foe now appears like an opportunity for a second chance, a possible friend. Your work that felt too hard is now a magical mountain adventure to climb. The studio routine that once felt monotonous is now a mystery game to discover and find your flow. Putting on these magical glasses is the practice that every Guide at Acton strives to wear daily. No, it is not a literal pair of glasses but instead it is the mindset of Maria Montessori: to look at each learner with fresh eyes.
At Acton our Guides are trained to begin each day asking themselves and asking learners “Who do you want to be today?”
This first week of Session 4 was the epitome of new. It was not only the start of a new session after a long break and the beginning of a new calendar year but it was an opportunity for every Acton learner to see their learning environment with fresh eyes and reclaim who they want to be. For older Acton Main learners, it helps to have a beautiful new school campus to explore and for younger Spark Land learners, it helps to have the school you find familiar reinvigorated with a change of furniture, materials, and freedoms to claim.
This past Monday, Guides invited learners to be present in their new spaces and explore their learning environment with fresh eyes and deep curiosity. At Acton Main, we let go of points and freedom levels for the week (learners were shocked) and Guides simply invited learners to work and explore their space with purpose and a plan to discover. We challenged learners to experiment and focus more on nesting than productivity. Guides challenged “Which part of the school will stimulate your creativity the most or what spot will allow you to get into flow or feel the happiest?” With the invitation to see school with renewed lenses learners were free to explore as adventurers and scientists testing different locations and strategies daily.
Naturally learners struggled with knowing the immediate location of the scissors or break timers, however, when their joy of curiosity kicked in they quickly found the wonder of treasure in every drawer. Find a sticky note? Best to tell your friends and be the explorer that announces the location of treasure. These fresh eyes not only invite joy but this week our Guide team connected and shared an abundance of observations of peace. Learners are joyful, calm, and most of all engaged. With all the “new” learners are rippling with renewed work ethic and a hunger to set goals and earn badges.
The best notes to share are this week’s learner comments:
“It’s bigger on the inside! I can’t believe this is my school!”
“It feels the same but it also feels so different.”
“I feel so chill. I’m doing so much work but I feel so chill.”
“Epic. Epic. Epic.”
“We can go everywhere!”
“I’m so glad I’m back, it all just feels good now.”
“Having our own space makes me happy!”
I invite you to figuratively or literally (if needed) put on your fresh eyes! Every morning, who do you want to be? How do you look at your child? Do you dwell on yesterday or are you inspired by the opportunity of today? In the new season of our Acton school I invite you to find your fresh eyes. If you need help, ask your learner!