Session 7, Week 1

While our whole school is built around passion driven learning, all three studios enjoyed Passion Projects as their Session 7 quests.

What were the Spark Studio heroes passionate about this week? Here are just a few answers:

Triangles! After creating with the Montessori triangles, these heroes were fascinated that the triangles seemed to change in size depending on the angle and distance of their view. Sometimes the triangles looked really big, other times they appeared tiny. 

Math! This hero asked to do dot multiplication. He waited patiently for his presentation and then stayed focused from start to finish.

Skip counting songs! Perhaps you have heard some at home? Heroes have been so excited learning and practicing their new skip counting songs.

The Yearbook! Heroes worked on a cover for their yearbook. They focused on the information that needed to be included and then took a vote on which design should be the cover.

Being a tribe! Heroes are passionate about helping one another and including each other in their learning.

During CHOICE work cycle, we typically have a plethora of random up-cycle materials to use for creating. This week we pondered the question, “Are you more creative when you have a lot of materials, or just a few?” With just one up-cycle item they were challenged to be creative in transforming it using only: scissors, stickers, die cuts & glue. Sure enough, the creative challenge drew them into a concentrated process.

We explored with light tables that made colors vivid and bright. The heroes were in awe as they gazed at the contrast.

We explored natural materials with soft and muted colors and the heroes were engaged as they focused on the subtle differences and tried to recall the nostalgic scent of nature.

We had the opportunity to use Perler Beads and the heroes were empowered as they were coached one-on-one to handle the iron and solidify their creations.

In the Fire Studio, Session 7 Quest gives an opportunity for the oldest heroes to plan and execute a Day Quest.  These heroes chose a passion, guided discussions and created challenges based on that passion for the whole studio!  Having the heroes prepare and lead in a topic they are excited about brings a level of energy into the studio that is compelling for the other heroes!

On Monday Carlos took us on an ecosystem adventure to Farmington Pond and taught knife safety.

On Tuesday Mack took us back to WWII with an exciting story about POW’s and how they used Morse Code to communicate with others. He then taught the heroes how to memorize and use morse with a fun decoding challenge.

On Wednesday Hazel taught us about the Life Cycle of Stars. We learned how black holes are formed, the densities of different types of stars, played blob tag, then created & presented posters on the various stars’ life cycles.

Heroes spent some time thinking about passions for next year and discussing about their brains. No one is born “smart”; however, everyone, is born to learn. (Have you ever watched a newborn baby.) Learning can look like so many things, it can even look like failing. Heroes shared ways they’ve learned and failed and learned some more this year, and they also gave thought to what they would like to learn or start to learn next school year. A few of the topics they shared: Math, Falconry, Dinosaurs, Being Better at Listening, Science, Pandas, Engineering, Next Writer’s Gym Level, Spanish, Gun Building, Better Spelling, Fractions, Becoming a Vet, Lego Robotic Coding, Horses, Better Motor Skills and Division. 

Finally, heroes remembered how passionate they are about their freedom. Unbeknownst to the heroes until they arrived at school, Thursday was “A day at traditional school.” Nothing was extreme. They simply had to sit in assigned seats, ask to use the bathroom, wait until lunch to eat, do the work assigned to them at the time it was assigned, and discipline was up to the “teachers”. A discussion at the end of the day was insightful. There were some things such as the quiet, better “behavior” and personal space, that the heroes really enjoyed. They recognized that nothing is precluding them from creating those things in their studio! Resoundingly, the heroes expressed how grateful they are for a learning environment where they can spend their time and energy learning things that are important and valuable to them–a school where they can truly discover and explore their passions.

The Middle School enjoyed their Apprenticeships this week. We are all looking forward to a full report when we get back together!

This quest for passion is what we strive for all year long. But it is fun to have Session 7’s actual “Quest” entirely devoted to it by name. Watching young people discover what they are passionate about, dive in, and then share with others, is inspiring to behold. As I observe these heroes, I often ask myself, “What am I passionate about?” I ask you parents as well – What are you passionate about? When was the last time you found yourself in flow, loving what you were learning? Share it with us! Share it with your heroes! Let’s create a full community of lifelong learners – young and old – who are passionate about what they are learning! Not just during Session 7, but all year long!