Session 1, Week 1
Every Hero’s Journey begins with a Call to Adventure. We often take this step for granted; assuming that we ought to answer all calls. There are a plethora of Calls to Adventure every day – should we accept all of them? Some calls will invite you into a Journey that you want to be on. Some calls may invite you into a journey that is not ideal for you. Exploring the skill of recognizing different Calls to Adventure and deciding which you want to answer is Session 1’s invitation – and thus Question of the Session. During this first full week of school, heroes received many Calls to Adventure…
In the Spark Studio we looked to the Olympians this week as we observed respect and fair play. One hero commented, “I’d rather help someone that got hurt than win the gold medal.” Several heroes commented that their highlight of the week was making friends and feeling included and that they were really nervous about that coming into the new school year. We watched heroes stretch out of their comfort zone and support each other. They notice each other. They care for each other. They encourage each other. This week they showed how you answer the call to make new friends.
In our CHOICE Work Cycle this week (as a reminder, the CHOICE Work Cycle is founded on Reggio Amelia principles), we focused on working as a team. Each of the squads were challenged to create their own country name and flag. They learned to work together, compromise, and listen to each other. We talked about using encouraging words and cheering each other on. Best of all was when it was time for studio maintenance and all the squads answered the call of responsibility. They not only completed their own tasks, but also helped other squads!
In the Fire Studio, heroes answered many Calls to Adventure. Some were less comfortable, such as being away from home for longer stretches of time, working in teams to reach a consensus on contracts, or walking a mile in the sun. Some were more exciting, like learning a new game as a squad, choosing a badge plan on their new chromebooks, and splashing through chilly fountains with friends! Heroes also discovered Growth Mindset as they worked to fold paper into penguins, and they unified their Squad Continents at the first of many World Summit gatherings this session! They also took steps toward really owning their studio space as they scavenger hunted the studio and discussed ways to turn their “coach” Stephanie into her proper role as “guide.” Heroes love to share the calls they chose to answer—perhaps ask your hero after school, what was a challenge you took on today?
During Quest, heroes were introduced to their Games Quest! FS Heroes will be exploring and practicing games the first 3 weeks of this session, and then will enter tournament play weeks 4-6. While playing games heroes will be exploring concepts such as good sportsmanship, including others, getting out of your comfort zone and having fun! Heroes also began the daunting – and yet exciting – Lip Dub challenge this week. There are two weeks until submission to the World Wide Acton Lip Dub competition closes.
DELTA/Fire Studio games were also introduced. DS/FS games are planned by the DS heroes and happen every Monday after lunch:
In the DELTA Studio heroes began one of their most important unified Heroes’ Journeys – building a tribe! They answered this call with enthusiasm and kindness as they began their mini games quest, tribe building challenges, contract creation and exploring what their name D.E.L.T.A. actually means, A new guide remarked – “You are going against the normal. You are Junior High aged, and yet you are so kind!” It is true. Heroes have welcomed new heroes with open arms and are starting from the beginning with a culture of inclusivity and helping one another. New heroes are jumping right in to participate despite possibly being decently overwhelmed! The DS also began the year with a determination to hold one another (and themselves) to a higher standard of excellence than they have before. It has been beautiful to behold as heroes have not approved challenges or badges that are not excellent, but have also worked side by side to help each other reach a standard of excellence.
The quest challenge for the DELTA Studio is to get a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee running and registered (passing safety and emissions testing). Heroes are using the engineering method: Learn the system, observe the symptoms (test if working, record symptoms if not), explain to the ‘customer’ what they found, their plan to fix it, and any risks and mitigation strategies. Heroes split themselves into teams to work on different systems. A few brave heroes have taken on a system on their own! When they think they understand the system, they explain it to the rest of the studio who get to ask questions. It’s a tough audience! Excitement levels were high as the Jeep arrived in studio – they were ready to jump in and tear the car apart. Inadvertently this quest has also been a Call to Adventure for some of the heroes in developing patience 🙂
It is inspiring to see heroes – new and old – showing courage and bravery in answering Calls to Adventure right from the beginning. Energy is high, the learning curve is steep, and there are many discussions and strong opinions the first few weeks as heroes create their studio contracts. As guides we are grateful to be getting to know this new tribe and are striving to create meaningful and exciting Calls for your heroes to decide if they want to answer!