Week 3: Acton in action at Acton

Jeff and Laura Sandefer named their small school in Austin, Texas after Lord Acton - a British historian, politician, and moralist who famously said "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." They asked the bold question - what if children are far more capable than we've ever imagined? What would happen when those with the least power in our society - children - were given freedom and responsibility, agency and autonomy? Since those humble beginnings in 2009, the Acton Academy network has grown to more than 350 schools worldwide. It turns out, with this model - children can indeed reach great heights.

This week, I reconnected with our namesake, Lord Acton, and found renewed inspiration in his message and how it applies to our studios. Lord Acton was deeply concerned with the issues of liberty and moral responsibility, which brings me to another quote he's well known for and which at Acton Academy, we explore daily in the context of our studios; "Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right to do what we ought."

I found a beautiful essay analyzing this quote, and knew I could not possibly word it better. The full essay can be found here, and although I found every sentence worthy of full attention, there were a few that jumped out at me and I felt applied so clearly to our vision for heroes at Acton Academy. "This profound and thought-provoking line encompasses a core principle of liberty - the recognition that freedom should not be reduced to mere indulgence in our desires but rather upholding our moral responsibilities. Acton's quote highlights an important aspect of liberty that goes beyond the exercise of personal will and encompasses a deeper understanding of our obligations towards others and society as a whole. By asserting that liberty is not the power of doing what we like, Acton challenges the common misconception that freedom is synonymous with unrestrained action. He acknowledges that true liberty lies in the recognition that there are limits to our choices and actions. It is not the ability to act without consequences or consideration for others but rather the acknowledgment of our moral boundaries." Each person at Acton Academy is on their own unique Hero's Journey - but they are also part of a larger tribe, and therefore, their actions must be in consideration of the greater-good and health of the tribe. This lesson, of course, carries forth into "the real world" and life long after their time at Acton. Children who attend Acton do enjoy an immense amount of freedom, but as the author points out, "freedom also comes with the burden of responsibility. We are not merely free to act as we please, but rather we have the moral obligation to consider the consequences of our choices and to act in ways that align with our values and the common good."

In the context of an Acton studio, this plays out in various ways - through Socratic discussion, studio maintenance, honouring the schedule, self-governance, Town Hall discussions settled via votes, and the Hero's Journey itself. At the root of it all is the balance between freedom and responsibility, choices and consequences. As JD from Acton NW Indy so eloquently put it, "Our goal at Acton Academy is not for your child to be blindly obedient, but to become heroically responsible. These are vastly different things. Blind obedience is passive; it just does what it is told, often to avoid getting in trouble. Blind obedience sits at a desk all day and follows whatever rules are imposed upon it, regardless of whether they are reasonable. Blind obedience does not seek the good of those around it because its sole concern is avoiding negative attention. Heroic responsibility, on the other hand, is active. It actively seeks out the need of a situation and pursues it without being asked. It has agency and autonomy, but uses it not for recklessness, but for good. It does not eschew authority, but identifies legitimate authority and seeks to honor it. And perhaps most importantly, it recognizes that the highest orders of good can only be done by those who are free, and it therefore wields its freedom to serve others for the overall benefit of the community surrounding it."

This concept forms a large underlying goal of the Build The Tribe Quest; further defining what it means to be a hero at Acton and how we can "act in ways that align with our values and the common good." Initially, this looks like guides actively guiding the heroes through heroic choices, inspiring them with stories of people who lived heroic lives, and connecting them to one another - forming strong bonds and forging their community along the way. In time, they will be equipped to take the reins, self-governing and guided by the north star of "what we ought".

At Acton Academy, we take to heart the wise words of our namesake, "Authority that does not exist for Liberty is not authority, but force."