Session 4, Week 6
Exhibition week: The conclusion of collaborative and individual hard work – beautifully showcased and presented. The last minute touches on models, plays, posters, presentations, pitches, and items to sell. The finishing of papers and badges and goals. The ultimate sprint to the end. The sigh of relief when the final speech is given. The wrap up of thoughtful reflections – reviewing how far you came. The END can be (and was) so rewarding!
In the Spark Studio many of the works were new at the start of the session. Watching learners recognize how much they have grown from the beginning to the end of the session as evidenced by their mastery of works is inspiring.
This is how it feels when you have worked really hard on a work that was challenging. You started off discouraged and didn’t think you could do it, but you did it! This learner skip counted by 7s all the way to 7^3. That’s 343!
We read several Aesop fables this session and this week each squad worked together to adapt them to present at Exhibition. Heroes wrote scripts.
Added costumes and props. One squad chose to have masks represent the sun and the wind and use a puppet narrator.
The tragic end of the goose that laid golden eggs was softened by the element of interpretive dance and fluffy pom-pom “blood”.
Heroes moved furniture and decorated.
One squad had to rethink their play because a member of their squad was absent on performance day. It was proving to be quite the challenge when a different learner walked up and asked, “Do you guys need any help?” “Yes!” they exclaimed. And with that added support, all was well.
Each squad added their personalities to the story.
And the final result was pure delight and entertainment for us parents.
This week we also touched on democracy from Ancient Greece with a reading of “The Day the Crayons Quit.” We used our dilemma of the current condition of our colored pencils in the studio to practice democracy. Heroes listened to each other’s ideas for solutions, each hero got a vote, and then they followed through with their solution. It is the process we follow daily with dilemmas at CHOICE, but it was fun to give it a name.
It is always fun to listen to the heroes follow this process naturally. During outside time, several heroes were excited to combine their forts into one. Even though they had a united vision of one big fort, being on the same page of how to go about doing it was a learning experience. After some struggles one hero said in a positive tone, “We’re going to get this thing done. Guys, let’s not fight each other. We’re on the same side.”
And although Valentine’s Day didn’t have anything to do with Ancient Greece, it was a great addition to our closing week. The Spark’s Valentine party was simple with boxes to decorate, and valentines to pass out, but the heroes loved it. The leader of the day chooses our cheer at the end of the day; that day it was: “Valentines is the best! Especially at CHOICE!”
At the end of a wonderful session, there is much for the Fire Studio to do to finish up and reflect on a session.
Heroes locked in for some final hours of core skill learning this week.
They shared their core skill portfolios at Exhibition, including Heroic Habit journals, Writer’s Gym challenges, art creations, and more. (Parents may not have had time to see the portfolios with all the other stations at the Exhibition, but it was the result of a lot of hard work!)
They cheered for one another as the FS collectively earned a basket full of badges–some individual heroes even earned/completed 5 or 6 badges this session!
So much creativity was shown as the Fire Studio heroes completed the last challenges of the quest and prepared for Exhibition, where their parents were transported through a time machine to ancient Greece! Many heroes took the challenge to research a character from ancient Greece (mortal/historical or immortal) and create a costume and props to match what they learned. One hero, who is working on the courage habit, pushed himself to do something he felt was very scary in front of a big audience of parents.
Heroes were free to choose which area of ancient Greece–the market, the academy, the theater, or the military training camp–they wanted to work in at the exhibition. They recreated challenges they had done during the quest, created toys and wares to sell at the market, performed plays and puppet shows for small audiences, and offered classes and training in coin making, pottery, medicine, and military strategy. The guides were anxiously awaiting how it would all come together – and it was worth the wait. The heroes organized an incredibly fun and complex Exhibition.
After Exhibition is over, there is still much to be done!
Nearly all heroes chose to compete in the year’s second Fire Studio Spelling Bee, and the encouraging cheers for the incorrectly spelled words almost out did the cheers for the spelling winners.
Heroes pondered and debated the relationship between Freedom and Responsibility, as they discussed the session question: Can you have freedom without responsibility?
Heroes ran for and voted on a new council for next session and a new music playlist genre. They took time for meaningful reflection on their own growth, shared feedback with their squad members and guides, and reflected on and discussed areas for growth as a full studio. And still had time to enjoy a lot of spontaneous fun!
Who could end Session 4 without a hero planned Valentine’s Party! I am never sure which I enjoy more: watching the heroes execute their own parties, or listening to their planning processes. Either way, those skills they are gaining will last long after the party is over!
The DELTA Studio worked hard on their Medical Biology Quest. It showed as they correctly diagnosed their patients (mostly),
showcased and explained their models and associated systems,
and shared their papers and pitches with parents.
Perhaps due to the smaller quest groups, many heroes recognized that they stepped up and worked harder than before. One hero said “I worked more productively than ever before.” All of them appeared proud of their masterpieces. The hardest part for me, is what to do with their masterpieces after it’s over. All their hours of blood, sweat and tears – I hate to just throw them away! Gratefully it is about the process, not the product, and the heroes get to keep the internal outcomes of their efforts long after an exhibition is over.
Just like the Fire Studio, once Exhibition is over, there is still much to do in the DELTA Studio. Although heroes complain at times, the reflections following Exhibition are crucial to the learning process. DS heroes recognized that while their overall culture is improving, they still want to do something about their discussions. In fact, a guest came in on the last day and afterwards the heroes were embarrassed/felt bad about how disrespectful some of them had been during the discussion. They decided to write and sign an apology note and two of the heroes (who were self admittedly most disrespectful), hand delivered it to the guest. This process is messy. There are lots more fails than if there was a teacher standing up front telling the heroes to be quiet. But we are playing the long game. And this process of self-reflection and self-recognition is the impetus to real change. Heroes also enjoyed an art experience making wire mobiles.
Heroes completed their Misogi at the Rec Center. I wouldn’t say that it was our most focused Misogi (although it was inspiring to watch a few heroes experiment with pushing themselves harder than they have before), but we did have a really fun time afterwards! I got many comments (of seeming surprise) on what a great group they were.
The opportunity to go to the cadaver lab was awesome! Heroes got to actually see (and touch) the systems they had been reading about in books. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the lab so you’ll have to ask your hero about their favorite pieces. My favorites were the patho hearts (I got to hold a heart with a pace maker in it) and unraveling the digestive system.
Working hard together, disagreeing, working through struggles, going out of their comfort zones, all these processes brought the DS closer together this session.
And so concludes the Medical Biology Quest…
What does not end (in any studio) and only gets better is the laughter, kindness, willingness to help, deep study, amazing comments and questions, endless reading, personal discovery, patience with others, honest sharing, accountability of self and holding others accountable. Each session may start with eyes wide and comments made about the impossibility of the challenges or works…but the END of each session is a beautiful and continuing transformation process.