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Illuminating the Unknown
Curiosity is the not-so-secret ingredient that propels children and adults to excel, to be interested, and to find joy in the world around them. I believe curiosity is the heart and soul of the Acton model therefore when learners get curious we lean in! A few weeks ago we noticed that a handful of learners were talking about their older siblings and other friends who go to a different school, not Acton. They didn’t know the name for it but to us parents they were talking about traditional school. As we listened to learners chat about what they thought other schools were like (lockers were the primary topic of excitement) we realized that not a single learner in our Spark studio ever experienced a traditional school. Chalk it up to youth or the pandemic but Acton was their only experience of school.
Musical Momentum
The sweet sound of piano keys tinkering through the songs Twinkle, Twinkle and Mary Had a Little Lamb filled the Acton environment this week during Core Skills and free-time. Learners have always had access to the music room (Sound Sanctuary) yet this week launched the official Piano Badge series for the Discovery Studio. Two responsible learners gained the privilege to be the first Acton pianists and I had the privilege to observe a moment of their practice and interview them after a partner session.
Parent Village
At the start of every parent meeting I ask for everyone to connect by sharing one word for how they feel about Acton, the only rule is honesty. As I reflect on this week’s parent meeting the only word I feel is deeply grateful. I am grateful to every one of you brave parents for deciding to join the journey of Acton, the unknown path that is so different from the educational journey we had growing up. I am grateful that you show up for your child with love, vulnerability, and bravery and that this Wednesday many of you showed up to engage in building meaningful community, a growing village of like-minded life-long learners.
For those of you that weren’t able to make it, here’s a mini-recap and for those of you who did attend here’s a reminder of the journey with links.
Curiosity
How curious are you? Do you ask lots of questions? Do you wonder about how things work or why the world is the way it is out loud? If your answer to these questions is mostly “not really” then I urge you to dive in and get curious! Really, right now get curious about why curiosity is the single most powerful instigator for deep meaningful learning!
Sure, you could believe me, or you could believe the great questioners—scientists—and the data of why curiosity is good for your brain. I’ll tempt your curiosity with a little brain knowledge.
Cracking the Code
In 1996 I was a girl who spent a year studying computer science and all I remember was writing code to get a bunny to walk forward and hop on the screen of a giant black and white computer. This was no easy task! From 1996 until now I have believed the world of coding was simply programming computer software but I couldn’t have been more wrong!
As I prepared for this session’s Coding and Robotics Quest I quickly discovered that our entire lives are full of code! Yes, it was a bit of a Matrix movie style realization minus the high-pressure choice of taking a red or blue pill.
Listening
What do you typically hear during a day at Acton? A bee-like hum of learners in flow, a poignant battle cry for help, goofball giggles, kind reminders, and conversations about the process of our many Acton systems. Hearing is the first step but as we’ve discussed with learners many times, hearing and listening are pretty different. Listening involves all of you, all of your focus, and your desire to connect so you can understand. Listening is hearing plus more! This session, our amazing Acton Guides and I truly had to listen to the needs of learners and had to offer a rippling change.
Book Buddies
“I have an idea!” This was the start of a conversation I had a few weeks ago with one brave Discovery Studio learner.
The Problem: He shared, “I’ve been thinking a lot and I really want to help my friend in the Spark Studio. I know he wants to move up to be with us in Discovery but he’s stuck on the Bob books; he needs to get better at reading.”
Bedtime Stories for Heroes
For the last few months my daughter and I have a bedtime routine. Teeth are brushed, pajamas on, stuffy selected, and then finally we are ready to get cozy and continue reading Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women. The book includes gorgeously creative illustrations of 100 women and a one page story typically beginning with “Once upon a time…”. Pages include dates of each rebels life, country of origin, and one carefully selected quote. The pages are magical, every turn we have no idea who we will meet next, each story has us hooked!
What’s most magical about this routine isn’t the story, it is the opportunity that each story invites my daughter and I to connect, to be curious together, to compare a hero’s life to our own.
Car Ride Reflections
The school day ends and your learner hops in the car. Are they bursting with stories of the days happenings or are they tight lipped like a secret spy? As a parent of two, I am very familiar with asking “how was your day?” or “did you have a good day today?” More often than not when I ask these questions I receive one word answers “good” or “yes.” Despite my greatest efforts the lips of my secret spy kids will not budge, one word is all I’ll get. Early on in my Acton parent life I began to wonder “Am I asking the right questions?”
Crossing the Line
At Acton, we know learning is deepest and most memorable when experienced. This week learners journeyed through new terrain to explore boundaries, resources, and what happens when you are caught trespassing. Here’s a glimpse into their journey…
It’s Monday at 8:30am, the doors are shut between Spark and Discovery. All that divides the studios is one strip of orange tape, a border line.
New Year, Fresh Start
This Monday, after a long winter break, learners returned to Acton a little taller, with less teeth, and also with greater confidence in what they want to accomplish at school. It was amazing to see each learner barrel in to the start of Session 4 with excitement and great determination. Day 1 a hard earned badge was earned, Day 2 two badges were earned, and Day 3 another valuable badge was achieved. This may be a new record of badges earned in a week! So, what is different? What lit the fire of learners to achieve?
Q & A with AAO’s Director
The national organization, Education Reimagined, shined a light on Acton Academy Oshkosh and our Director Dr. Sharon Tenhundfeld Chmura-Moore. They were curious about her journey from music to K-12 education and we’d like to share this conversation with you! Below is the article and we encourage you to visit Education Reimagined’s website to learn more about the learner-centered movement and the amazing schools and practitioners that are changing education across the nation.
Heroic Pokémon
Every Pokémon has special powers that help them win battles and evolve into their future self! You could say that Pokémon have gifts and talents that they share with the world just like heroes, just like our Acton learners.
As we planned our January Pokémon camp we kept realizing the hero’s journey parallel. So, naturally Pokémon camp developed into Pokémon/Hero camp.
Practice
“Practice makes perfect” is the classic saying but if you are practicing and fail how will you ever reach perfect? If you are feeling like a puddle how can you get enough courage to climb the mountain towards success? Yesterday I had the privilege of this exact conversation with a learner. Here’s how we got there….
Entrepreneur-SHIP!
A successful captain exudes quiet confidence and brings out the best in both themselves and their fellow mariners. Being a captain is a tough job as you never know when you may encounter rocky waters or alluring pirates. Pirates can appear fun but ultimately they steer a captain off course by stealing the greatest treasure of all, your attention. Who will you be today a captain or a pirate? Where will you steer your ship, what is your path to find your treasure? These are the questions we’ve been asking learners the last few weeks both in Core Skills and now in our Entrepreneurship Quest.
Passion Magic Machine
“What are you passionate about?” This was the first question posed as learner’s began Session 3’s Entrepreneurship Quest. As learners went around the circle answering this question it was amazing to witness the glow that filled their faces as they proudly shared “soccer, art, nature, my family, reading, swimming, Pokemon, cooking”. Passions are simply the start. Passions coupled with a real-world problem makes way for an amazing entrepreneurial opportunity.
Passions + Problems = Business Idea
Calling Out Kindness
A hug, a high-five, picking up a friend’s dropped puzzle pieces, cheering “you are so close, I believe in you”, or simply saying “thank you” are all acts of kindness that although simple have the ability to positively change another person’s moment, day, or life. It’s hard to know the impact your kindness will have on others and even the impact it can have on yourself. The ripple effect or perhaps the boomerang of kindness begins with one act—learning to do—saying or doing kind things every day.
Hero Community
The hero’s journey isn’t just for young learners, every person, and parent who steps through the doors of Acton are on their hero’s journey to find a calling and change the world. Changing the world isn’t always a monumental movement instead it may take a few small steps and a little momentum. This Wednesday Acton parents began their journey and took their first steps toward building a community of fellow travelers in our very first parent meeting of the year.
Mastering the Journey
Po, the proclaimed dragon warrior was simply a Panda that loved noodles. So, how did Po become the ultimate Kung Fu Panda Master? The process wasn’t easy, Po had many external and internal challenges but he also had fellow travelers (the fantastic five) and mentors (Grand Master Oogway and Master Shifu). Just like Po, learners at Acton are on their hero’s journey and their mentors include Guides and YOU, parents!
The Sense of a Scientist
“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” —Albert Einstein
The journey of Session 2 began this week and the walls of Acton are bursting with questions, experiments, and tinkering, tinkering, tinkering as learners assumed their newest role as Toy Scientist, more specifically Physicist. It was amazing to experience how a simple white lab coat and a pair of safety goggles can transform even the youngest learner into a serious professional. Learners took their Owl observation skills to the max while testing toys such as rubber duckies (buoyancy) and slime (elasticity). While walking through the Toy Lab you would see learners evaluating, testing, and recording their observations and you would hear this gem of a discourse…