See Something, Do Something
You see a food wrapper on the floor of the kitchen, it isn’t yours, do you walk by or do you pick it up? You notice a friend forgot their lunch in the coat room, do you remind them, do you grab it, do you do anything? Your friend looks sad, what do you do? A fellow learner is running in the school, what do you do? These are daily questions running through the minds of learners at school, perhaps you have similar questions running through your brain as you go through your days. Decision making is tough, but choosing if, when, and how to act is toughest!
A few years ago when Acton Academy Oshkosh began I started a not so clever but rather direct saying to inspire action and that saying was “see something, do something.” It’s simple and straightforward, if you see something especially trash or materials out of place do something and help just a little bit. Typically when I noticed a learner forgetting a sweatshirt on the ground right in the middle of the studio I would exaggerate a trip and say to myself (loud enough to be interesting and with my pointer aha finger) “see something, do something” and I would pick it up and return it to its owner. The same went for a food wrapper in the kitchen or a material in disarray on the shelf.
Quickly these moments that I declared caught fire, in all honesty I believe it only took two times until my modeling words were repeated by learners and action was taken. Soon enough I overheard learners proudly announcing this saying and often telling one another about their kindness. Learners took pride in helping, in being responsible, in caring for their environment and for one another. And so a saying was born!
This year with a slew of new learners I tied this action concept into a Launch and immediately learners completed my sentence “see something….do something!” I was surprised by their excitement but I’ve been even more surprised by their quickness to take action and even sacrifice their timeliness or earned privilege to help their fellow travelers. Just yesterday one learner had a complicated Core Skills material spread out on a work mat and it was taking a long time to put away. Other learners were headed outside for free time and she was sad because it was taking too long, within seconds another learner who was just about to leave the room noticed, stopped, and kindly asked to help. Is this simple, yes, but in truth we live in a world where not everyone takes the time, the effort, to stop what they want to do and help someone else. The world can change and sometimes it starts with one simple action and then a ripple.
We enjoy talking about the ripple at Acton, spreading kindness, inspiring one another. Often learners associate this saying with keeping the school clean or putting materials away but recently learners connected this idea during a Launch discussion. It was glorious as learners discussed risk and reward and the Abraham Lincoln saying popped up—“actions speak louder than words.” This is another saying that learners can complete the sentence!
A simple saying now inspires kind reminders during Core Skills, help when a friend is frustrated, a hug in a time of need, and a cheer during a challenging moment. “See something, do something” is a reward in itself. The reward is a hero’s pride. Proud to be the coveted character qualities of responsible, kind, caring, helpful, generous, and more when truly needed. Just yesterday learners agreed that how we choose to act is how we will be remembered. I was humbled and teary eyed when a learner shared “If I see something I have to do something if I can because my actions are what matters, kindness matters.”
Ask your learner about this saying and try it at home!