After a long weekend away with family and friends for Thanksgiving, we came back together on Tuesday morning with stories to share about our holiday. It was so nice to see everyone again and before long we were back into our routines, working alone or in pairs on our Core Skills (reading, writing, math).
At Acton Academy we talk a lot about "the Hero's Journey", and every day we use stories of both real and fictional characters who've lived heroic lives. We then draw parallels between their journey - the setbacks, challenges, and monsters they faced - and our own. We discuss the heroic traits they posses - such as resilience, determination, courage, and a growth mindset - and challenge ourselves to consciously nourish those traits.
In this way, children begin to realize that they are the hero in their own story; that the way they handle challenges and the choices they make will ultimately determine the quality of their life. When they come up against a monster in the studio...such as the monster of resistance (maybe to a challenging math problem, maybe to learning to read), will they give up? Or will they face that monster, adopt a "yet" mindset, and cross the threshold into the unfamiliar world?
One character we explored this week was our very own Canadian hero, astronaut Chris Hadfield! We read "The Darkest Dark" - the true story of Chris's childhood. In this story Chris shares how as a young boy he loved all things space and rockets, and his favourite game was to pretend he was a brave astronaut! There was just one catch, he was very afraid of the dark. This all changed for him when he witnessed the moon landing on TV and saw how outer space is the darkest dark there is. He realized the dark was beautiful and exciting, and that it was in the dark while fast asleep that his big dreams would come to keep him company.
We then watched this short clip of Chris sharing his story, and how he turned what once felt like an impossible dream into his lived reality, by taking one step at a time toward his goal. In fact, when Chris was a young boy it actually was impossible for a Canadian to become an astronaut. But he did not let that discourage or stop him. He followed his dream, worked very hard, took all the necessary training that would be required of an astronaut, and when the Canadian Space Agency was formed, he was ready. A true hero, if there ever was one.
This naturally evolved into a discussion of what we want to be when we grow up, and we set off to draw pictures and write words to describe our dream vocations. These will be part of our identity booklets, to be shared with friends and family at our first exhibition.
So, just how important are heroes to the Acton journey? So important that instead of simply male or female signage for the bathrooms, we decided to place posters on each door showcasing heroic people. Every time the boys enter the washroom they're greeted by a poster of male heroes (pictured above, click to expand), and same for the girls. Throughout the year we'll be exploring every one of these heroes and learning about their lives and stories. The children were very excited to rush to find Chris's picture on the poster, and will be reminded of this man's journey every time they enter the bathroom.
This week we took our SMART goal setting to the next level by charting our daily goals and actual achievements. We'd each set a goal for reading, writing, and math and see how we did by the end of the day. A wise man once said, "Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” These goals will help to keep us on track on our learning journey and will represent a concrete "destination" to reach for; a tangible determinant of progress and/or achievement. Over time and with practice, we'll all get better at setting goals that are both challenging and realistic, and this habit will naturally trickle into other aspects of our lives.
On Friday we began our day with our weekly Town Hall meeting; a time for people to bring forth issues they've seen arise in the studio and offer solutions. Decisions are made via vote and some rules may ultimately be added to our studio contract. One of the issues brought up this week was that of blaming. This led to a discussion about giving others the "benefit of the doubt", and we ultimately agreed upon the following: instead of blaming, try asking a question. For example: instead of "You took my block!", you could ask "Did you know I was using that?" They also collectively agreed that honesty is the best policy, and to acknowledge when you've broken a studio promise. Week by week, bit by bit, the culture is forming, and they're creating it.
After our core skills work was done, the rain began to roll in. We wandered outdoors for some time in nature, and once we were sufficiently wet we decided to come inside, dry off, and listen to a fun mystery-themed podcast, "Bust or Trust", while colouring Halloween themed pages. We heard myths and legends about Stonehenge and Bhangarh Fort, and relaxed while listening to the rain. By 2:30pm, the studio was tidied up and we gathered again to read an excerpt from our gratitude book, "Feeling Grateful: How to Add More Goodness to Your Gladness". We then moved to our tables and made an entry in our Gratitude journals before settling down with a book for D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read). By 3:10 the last families had left and we were closing the door on another week shared at Acton Academy Nanaimo.
In the wise words of Chris Hadfield, "Every single day, you're the result of what you did on the days prior. So if you turn that around, you can start turning yourself into who you want to be based on what you decide to do today."
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