Session 3, Week 2
You are 4 feet 2 inches tall. You weigh 73 pounds. I finished blue drawers! I made it to Island 8 in Nessy! I got 93% on my Khan Course Challenge! I did 5 pull ups! I scored in the 90th percentile. I finished my 4th book! These are all measurable metrics. Metrics that can be easily assessed and put on a growth chart. They are important and it is fun and helpful to measure them and see progress in ourselves and in our children. But what about the unmeasurables? What about the metrics that cannot be given a number or put on a chart? These metrics are often overlooked in education and yet I would argue are essential keys to happy and fulfilling lives. What were the unmeasurables we saw growth and progress in this week at CHOICE?
In the Spark Studio we saw a hero teaching other heroes about Bear Breathing, a tool she learned to help her body calm down when she is feeling big emotions. I am not sure how you measure self regulation or the willingness and ability to mentor and teach others, but I am sure they are helpful in life!
When heroes “play” restaurant they are practicing ordering food, using good manners, and setting a table. They are also being super creative. Golf balls in cups substitute for ice cubes. One hero made a menu. Another wrote down reservation times. Another wrote down the daily specials because they weren’t on the menu. All meaningful unmeasurables.
One hero was struggling to keep his promises. Instead of yelling or screaming, another hero calmly said, “Can I give you some feedback?” The skill of giving and receiving feedback is an non-measurable skill that will help heroes all throughout their lives!
Rather than argue about who gets a job, we saw heroes pair up to help with studio maintenance. We observed learners help one another with spelling. We watched as heroes patiently taught others a new skill. We observed heroes help other heroes talk through their disagreements. All examples of collaboration and cooperation.
We heard, “I didn’t get this out, but I can put it away.” and, “I just came to check on you.” Examples of being a contributing member of a team.
In the Fire Studio, we landed (closed) another week of this year’s journey by sharing “Gotchas.” Even one little Gotcha—when a hero notices, puts words to, writes out, and publicly shares gratitude with a fellow traveler—has immeasurable value in the Fire Studio culture. Heroes know that the Victimhood monsters that sometime creep around the studio, don’t stand a chance against gratitude! How do you measure that learning practice?
Each day Fire Studio heroes get to practice “moving through” their challenges and journeys. What do you do when you get stuck? Some heroes got locked in with personal determination to keep processing the challenge at hand until they had it figured out. Other heroes reached out for guidance and leaned into the strengths and insights of their fellow heroes. Others are still learning that skill. Learning to do hard things and practicing what to do when you get stuck are non-measurable life skills.
The DELTA heroes had the opportunity to lead Socratic discussions based on their Deep Books. Getting to practice creating and asking Socratic questions, discussing them in small groups and then providing written warm and cool feedback to one another cannot be measured on a test, but provides growth in communication and critical thinking that is non-measurable. We also added in a timeliness component. If you are not approved, printed and ready to go the morning of the discussions, you have to wait until next session. This is a good practice in timely preparation.
DS heroes have had beautiful opportunities to mentor this week. Working one on one with the Spark and Fire heroes on their slides and stories was a gift for both parties. Learning to enjoy heroes of different ages, getting the opportunity to share your gifts and talents, recognizing that everyone can help…it was so fun to watch!
One of the reasons that learning about history and social studies becomes less of a priority in the world (unless it is being used with bias to mobilize to a cause) is that a lot of the benefits cannot be measured. However, among other things, learning about and being engaged in discussions and activities about history helps us build compassion and recognize the complexity of conflicts and issues. In World Geography the past 2 weeks the launchpad (9th grade) heroes have been focusing on world religions. Last week they were fully engaged in a Seder passover meal. This week the older fire studio heroes boarded an imaginary plane and went on a virtual tour of some of the sites in the Middle East that were significant to ancient Jews after reading about ancient Jews. This week the younger delta studio heroes found parallels in their lives to the innovative problem solving ancient Phoenicians who did not have access to good farmland so they got really good at building sea vessels and facilitated a trade network and prospered.
Our school wide Quest has provided beautiful opportunities for exploring and developing non-measurable skills and gifts for heroes in every studio.
As the whole school came together to plan the Golden Years’ celebration, it may have looked like chaos to someone walking through. However, if you stopped and observed you would have noticed mixed aged groups working together to create something great! Leadership, idea generation, detailed event planning, executive functioning, patience, conflict resolution … the list of ummeasurables being developed is what the future leaders of our world will need!
As we gathered for a school wide lip sync contest, energy was high. And while the heroes were laughing and having a fantastic time, they may not have even realized they were practicing and growing bravery, courage, public performance and support for one another (listening to some of the DELTAs cheer for the youngers was so cool!). These are all unmeasurables. I think we may have also created a new annual tradition!
With so many great things happening, it is hard to choose favorite experiences. But if I had to, I would probably choose the care center visits. These visits have provided incredible opportunities. Opportunities to see and think and serve beyond themselves,
opportunities to talk to strangers,
opportunities to practice communication skills,
to practice being in challenging and awkward situations as you learn to interact with someone who is different than you,
to find out people of other ages are really cool(!!),
and to discover that something you thought was so difficult (and maybe even a little scary) was totally doable for you, and even fun!
In every instance where there was some initial hesitation and minimal confidence at the start, each hero exhibited moments when they rose to the challenge and had an impactful connection or interaction with the residents they were visiting.
Every facility we went to asked us to come back. And as I have mentioned that to the heroes – they have all willingly agreed! These visits have allowed the heroes to provide moments of joy and happiness to everyone involved which would not have existed without their time and efforts – that is non-measurable.
During Fire Studio landing, each hero answered a simple question: “What is something this week that made you a little better, even if it was uncomfortable.” We heard answers from “getting braces” to “attempting a math test” but the most common answer was visiting a care center for Quest. Many heroes shared how doing this initially uncomfortable thing pushed them out of their comfort zone to talk with a stranger, helped them think of others’ needs and experiences during the holidays, and increased their understanding, compassion, and gratitude for their own elderly family members and neighbors. There is no way to measure that kind of growth, but there is no way that doesn’t lead to healthier and happier lives now and in the future! I am so grateful for the measurable and non-measurable growth our heroes experience each week. It is truly immeasurable!