Surviving and Thriving!
Today we close Session 6 and invite our first camping Exhibition in the Acton wilderness. This type of Exhibition is new for us. Typically our Exhibitions have been gallery style, competitions, or narrative demonstrations of learning however today we all are diving in to surviving in the wild Acton environment—a process we’ve been doing all year however this wilderness Exhibition style is a new opportunity for our community to bond a bit more deeply. Tonight we will unplug, grow, and “be” together.
These moments of adventure, of newness, cause me to reflect. Looking back this session there have been so many joys and so many realizations of growth. Spark and Discovery learners dived into garden responsibility, they worked with their hands and hammers to create birdhouses and a team farmer’s market stand (don’t mind the slight lean and the massive amounts of wood glue), and learners developed practical skills in First Aid, plant and animal identification, fire safety, and so much more. Sure, the survival skills learners gained this session were exciting and practical but these skills didn’t just apply to building a tent or splinting a leg. As I reflected with our Guide team the other day we discussed how the first week skills of First Aid have changed the Acton studios. From week 1 to week 5, here’s the effect.
When a learner gets a scraped knee we call “Medic emergency, a learner needs First Aid, who can help?” Often, even if learners are in the midst of a soccer game someone comes running and is eager to help patch up the wound. During these 5 weeks learners have been performing First Aid independently close to 100% of the time but besides the bandages, learners have become more caring. One Guide shared “The attitude of learners has changed, there’s more caring, more love being spread.” Just yesterday one learner sat with another holding a pressure leaf bandage for over 20 minutes. This wasn’t necessary but this was love and this was just one of many caring moments. Tonight, if anyone needs an icepack, watch out, you may be overwhelmed with aid, soothing songs, and hugs!
We’ve also noticed more learners observe when their fellow travelers are in their challenge zone and how more learners are stopping, asking to help calm or problem solve. Earlier this week one seven year old learner was frustrated by knot tying and another four year old learner thrived with glee. What happened? The four helped the seven and quickly the frustrated learner’s tears disappeared and smiles for both learners extended ear to ear. Hard work became teamwork.
Lately, we Guides have also noticed the newness of change. Learners aren’t just learning how to read or how to manipulate numbers, they have changed and every day we see a new learner discover their ability to disagree respectfully, hold a friend accountable, how to contribute to socratic discussions with depth, and how to call a studio system vote. In the matter of weeks some of our youngest learners are surprising us with maturity causing Guides to say “Wow, they have grown so much!” “They have blossomed!” I’m sure you’ve noticed your own learner change, sometimes with challenge, sometimes simply out of the blue. As we near the end of our school year it’s amazing to realize the journey of these heroes, they are changing and one day they will change the world.
Newness will continue next session as we dive deeper into Game Design (session 7’s theme) and explore the justice system, a natural outgrowth of a learner’s experience with accountability. For now, I look forward to continue our thriving year and celebrating survival with each of you and your family tonight around the campfire. S’mores galore!