The Power of the Point
At Acton learners LOVE to clean. I know it sounds too good to be true because what child enjoys doing the dishes but truly, Acton learners love cleaning and caring for their school. Learners love having a job and completing that job from start to finish with mastery. They take pride in their hard work, their independence, and they smile and walk a little taller after receiving a cleaning inspection with a 5 star rating.
Interest is infectious and Guides have been noticing that cleaning has become more and more interesting. So, in true Acton style, our Discovery Studio Guide built a challenge, a weekly cleaning challenge of completing a certain number of jobs. Learners have 3 opportunities to earn job points: Core Skills cleanup, Lunch cleanup, Studio Maintenance. How many jobs can you complete with inspection during the time allowed?
Last week learners decided that 20 jobs was the amount needed to earn by the end of Thursday and the prize was a special privilege. They voted and agreed that a morning full of free outside time during Core Skills was worth it. The week unfolded and I observed many learners cleaning with laser focus and efficiency, they were hustling! Imagine a learner providing their cleaning qualifications and offering to clean your home. This is what I experienced daily from many learners, and often I didn’t have enough jobs to offer!
At Closing Launch on Thursday afternoon the final tally of jobs was counted and 4 learners had 20 points or more, 2 learners had well below, and 2 learners were one point away at 19. They were so close they could touch the prize but they didn’t earn it, they didn’t do 20 jobs by the deadline. These 2 learners asked “Since we are so close can we just do one more job so we can get it?” “If I do more jobs Friday morning can I still earn the morning outside time?” This was tough, and the studio discussed and voted on their fate. The studio decided that although these learners were close they didn’t earn it. During the discussion learners shared “Fair is fair, they didn’t meet the deadline.” “If they get to earn it after the time then it changes the rules and it changes the points we earned.” “Even though I’m sad for them I know they can earn it next time.”
I spoke to the two 19 point learners and although they both were disappointed they acknowledged how close they were and that even though they are sad, fair is fair. They were ok, in fact I might argue that this experience made them and all Discovery learners better than ok. This experience is real and the jobs, the points, meant something. Hard work means something. These are the moments that define our young heroes and allow them opportunities to discover and develop resilience, perseverance, grit, work ethic. This week, the tally is in and one of the 19 point learners has completed the most jobs, they are the high job scorer!
Cleaning challenges and our Acton badge system are a lot alike. Our beautiful badges aren’t just given away they are tokens of hard work, effort, a goal reached. One difference is Core Skill badges do not have a time limit, Quest badges do—they must be completed by the last day of the session, the Exhibition. If a learner doesn’t complete all the Quest requirements they don’t earn their badge, simple. This session the challenges are fun but a little tougher and sadly not everyone will earn the final Quest badge prize. Sometimes NOT earning a badge is the point. Not earning invites reflection and change, not earning and being so close is sometimes exactly what a learner needs to develop their work ethic.
No matter the age, no matter the task, there is a purpose to the points, a point to the process. This is how we learn who we want to become!