Week 29: Reading buddies, sneaky bunnies, and vulnerability

Another week, another studio-wide challenge! Everyone had so much fun with the math challenge and there were many requests for one of a reading variety. I was happy to oblige! Each day our heroes were paired up and tasked with choosing 2 books in their "challenge zone" from our Science of Reading aligned bookshelf. They had to practice being both a good reader and a good listener as their partner did the same. Once they were done reading, if their partner felt they had indeed chosen two books from their challenge zone they could put a sticker by their name for that day. If not, they would be asked to try to find something more challenging. If you completed the challenge each day this week you could participate in the ice cream celebration on Thursday! Each morning after our Socratic launch, the guides would announce the partners for the day and bodies would scatter to all corners of the studio, finding the perfect cozy nook to curl up with a friend and some good books. After the second day of the challenge, one of our older learners approached me and shared that although reading in her head wasn't challenging, she was finding reading out loud was surprisingly so, and she was revelling the opportunity to improve! This exemplified one of the things I love most about these activities - they're designed to present us with challenges we may not otherwise have chosen, and every now and then we surprise even ourselves :)

Continuing on with our E-Ship Quest, we watched this inspiring video about a young girl on a mission to save the bees, and afterwards discussed the Three Big Questions - those asked by some of the most successful people near the end of their life:

(1) Did I contribute something meaningful?

(2) Was I a good person?

(3) Who did I love and who loved me?

Which one of these questions is the most important to consider now? As with all Socratic discussions, there's no one right answer. We took a vote and then went around the circle providing our reasoning. Before pushing off to Market Island, we pondered the following question: Which quality or skill of an entrepreneur are you eager to practice?

(1) Courage - not being afraid to try new things or take risks,

(2) Listening - being a good listener to understand the values, needs, and suggestions of others, or

(3) Perseverance - being willing to work hard to get what you want

One by one, we got up and wrote our name on the whiteboard next to the skill we committed to working on that day. This public, visual commitment to a character building challenge is a powerful and frequently used tool in the Acton Tool Shed. That simple act of attaching your name to a specific heroic character trait adds a layer of accountability and consciousness to the commitment they're making to themselves and to the studio.

The goal of Market Island is to gather valuable feedback about your business idea, to ascertain the level of interest in your product or service, and to make the tough decision to either persist or pivot when faced with resistance. How will you respond to a negative or unfavourable comment about your business idea? What will keep you motivated when confronted with "failure"?

Armed with clipboards, pencils, and a prepared survey template, these young entrepreneurs buzzed around the studio gathering important intel on their idea. I was lucky enough to witness the power of a pre-market survey in action. One of our youngest heroes had planned to sell hot chocolate at the Exhibition Mini-Market (May 8th @ 3pm!). One of the survey questions was "How would you rate my product idea? Excellent, Good, or Poor?" and another, "How likely are you to buy one of my products at the Mini-Market? Very Likely, Likely, Unlikely?" One of his peers showed a beautiful balance of warm-heartedness and tough-mindedness when he responded by saying he does like hot chocolate, and if it were a winter market he would probably rank it as an excellent idea and that he'd be very likely to buy....however because it's going to be in May, and therefore likely hot, he'd rate it as a poor idea and would be unlikely to buy any. I watched the younger hero's face go red as he absorbed this feedback - it couldn't have been easy to hear, just as it couldn't have been easy to say. But a few moments later, he came up to me and said, "I've changed my idea - I want to sell snake stuffies at the market." He and I surveyed the group with his new idea, and he walked away with a big smile at the positive response his new business idea garnered. In this moment, and for this particular market, he decided to pivot. There's no right or wrong answer, but information is powerful and he chose to listen to the needs of his customer base. Going off his survey responses, I'd say he has a good chance of being successful at the upcoming market :)

By Thursday afternoon our entire studio had completed the reading challenge and it was time to divvy up the rewards. With no prompting from the guides, the older learners swiftly took ownership over the task - taking orders with clipboards, organizing eager bodies into an orderly line, donning aprons and scooping various flavours in an efficient, assembly line fashion. I think it's safe to say, the weekly challenges are here to stay!

With all the excitement of Easter weekend in the air, we couldn't resist an Easter Egg hunt by the river! While enjoying their lunch in studio under the watchful eye of Ella, a sneaky bunny hopped silently through the forest, leaving personalized eggs with a sweet treat and a sweeter inspirational quote for each and every hero tucked inside. It didn't matter whether the hero was 5.5 or 12.5 years old - everyone ran to the river and were thrilled by the prospect of a hunt.

Along with Easter and an ice cream party, there was yet another reason to celebrate this week - we welcomed a new hero to our tribe! On Tuesday morning we gathered at the circle rug and went around sharing our name, age, and one favourite thing. This tradition began earlier in the year and is a really lovely way to break the ice and connect with one another. Every time I learn something new! There were shared interests in cats, horses, ice cream....and then one of our eldest heroes said, "My favourite thing is that I get to come to Acton." Try as I might, I cannot put into words how that moment felt, or what her words meant to me. Somehow I managed to hold it all together, but they seemed determined to unravel me because later that day, when walking up from the river, our new hero said to me, "This doesn't feel like a school. It feels like home, like a family." I still tear up at the memory.

I looked around me and saw children painting each other's faces, wrestling in the grass, practicing and coaching gymnastics, slaying dragons with swords.....and I couldn't help but agree.

Just like a family, they've laughed and hugged, argued and cried, supported and comforted each other and shown great vulnerability. There's a sense of closeness and connection here that is truly special. We're a small group, and much like a family, there is a real need to find the common humanity in one another. I think this is often lost in large schools with hundreds of children. If you don't get along with one, there's another 50 there to play with. Not here. Just like in a family, we seek to understand one another, to show compassion, accountability, vulnerability, and empathy - such important life skills that I'm confident will serve these young people in their friendships, partnerships, and beyond.

I set off into our Easter weekend feeling immensely grateful - for the families who've shown such courage and to these children, who continue to inspire me every day.

"Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage." _Brené Brown