The Turn of the Ton
10, November 1560
Dearest Parental Readers,
Just like the turn of the tide the Acton kingdom has made a considerable turn in attitude these last few weeks of Fall. I am excited to report that gone are the ways of the grumbling peasants and in their place are now craftspeople and nobles exuding pleasure and passionate work ethic. Looking back to the first days of the Acton kingdom I recall many peasants expressing their feelings of enslavement, punishment, and their plans to rebel against the entire Renaissance process. Do you remember hearing through the ton or at your quiet home village the words of “I can’t believe we have to clean! We are peasants and they don’t even call us by our name! Noble Guides are so mean, they make us do everything! When will this abuse stop?” How quickly a few days changed the tune of each peasant and now nearly at the finish of our RenQuest festival the words of the learners were this: “I can’t wait for tomorrow, I can’t wait to work on my crafts and become a noble!” “My favorite days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday because I love Quest days!” “It’s so much fun being a lady and talking in an English accent.”
The power of perspective is wondrous, especially when experiencing the shift from yesterday to today or from one to two. Take for instance the childish story of the unicorn and Alice in the fantasy of Through the Looking Glass. The unicorn states “Well now that we have seen each other, if you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.” This mere bedtime story of wonder describes the shift of house attitude these few weeks. Doubt changed to belief and now embraces love. House members are believing not only in the journey of learning by doing but they are also believing in themselves and one another.
A prime example of the turning of minds is the current practice of conflict resolution explored these weeks in the House of Discovery. House members were exposed to a facilitation process to aid conflicts that arise towards a resolution of peace. As practiced Shakespearean thespians they lended their craft to perform hypothetical conflicting characters. Through this process of theatre and the written word they then problem solved peace and thus now in their house they are increasing their call for conflict resolution sessions. Just the other day I was approached to facilitate friends that felt like new foes and the journey towards their resolution was tearful and heartwarming.
For your education here is the process. A facilitator must be unbiased and uninvolved in a conflict and simply guides the process. Perspectives of experience are first shared using “I” statements only and facts of personal actions. Next, one member states “I feel ____ because ____.” Then the second member states “I heard you say ______.” Corrections are made as necessary and the process flips. After all is heard and understood all that are involved decide plans to move forward. Perhaps apologies are made or promises are cemented and all is sealed with a hug, high-five, or handshake. It is astounding how understanding the perspective of one person’s emotion felt by action can have a radical almost magical turn of the mind.
As committed readers and members of the Acton kingdom I encourage you too to practice this process either if in conflict yourself or as facilitator with your house mates. The process of challenge and disagreement is instead an opportunity to grow in perspective, empathy, and more. If you are looking for greater convincing explore this short video on the wizard box that made for fascinating conversation in the house reading circle.
Until next time my beloved parental readers. Enjoy your journey of parental perspective in our kingdom and perhaps consider stepping into the role of learner more regularly. Like Alice shared in her journey Through the Looking Glass “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe that it is possible.”