Session 4, Week 2
Do you truly believe that each child is on their own journey? Do you still believe that Learning to Be is more important than Learning to Know? If ever I start to waiver on these ideals, I merely need to hold a Journey Meeting with one of our wonderful young people and I am more convinced than ever of these two tenets. I have been with some of our young people for 5 years now. To see their growth academically is exciting. To see their growth as people – in all the things that A.I. can’t do, in all the things that will bring joy to their lives – is thrilling. It is meaningful to celebrate the moments when we can look back on a young person’s journey and see big changes. It is equally important to celebrate all the little ups and downs each week along the way that contribute to their change.
In the Spark Studio this session the heroes are using a ticket system during CHOICE work cycle. Heroes have the opportunity to complete various challenges in exchange for tickets. Some of the challenges include: making a blueprint of a Spark Studio room, building a structure with marshmallows and toothpicks, finding various shapes on a field trip, and testing the foundation of a structure they create. The tickets are also reinforcing the current skip counting song we are learning (we are learning how to count by 7s right now). The tickets can be redeemed for various upcycle items from air-dry clay to scratch-off art pages.
Some challenges this week were easier, and some were much more difficult. As heroes were exclaiming how excited they were to redeem their tickets, a guide asked why they were so excited. The heroes responded that it was because they had worked so hard to earn the tickets. When asked why they chose to do something hard, a hero responded, “Because it’s fun to do something hard. I like it.” That is beautiful small moment on a journey!
Communication and conflict resolution is a huge part of the Sparks daily hero’s journey. One day this week we saw heroes disagreeing over who gets the first turn with a bike. We then witnessed the heroes solve their own problem by deciding to use Rock, Paper, Scissors. Another time, a guide stood close by as a conversation was a bit messier, but the guide patiently allowed the two heroes to work through it to find their own solution – and they did!
After their Journey Meeting, a parent commented how that was the “best, most productive parent-teacher conference [they] had ever attended. Usually the teacher just hands over test scores.” But in these meetings, each learner evaluated areas where they wanted to improve. With the guidance and support of both guide and parents, learners made a plan for the next chapter of their school year. It was also a joy to reflect on how far heroes have come since the first day of school. Some learners shared about their fear to make new friends and how proud they are that they overcame that fear. Some heroes shared their joy in learning how to become a better reader.
It has been exciting for the new guide in the Fire Studio to observe CHOICE heroes each day. It was amazing for her to see the heroes helping each other as they each traveled on their own journey. She saw heroes help each other when one hero fell down and was hurt during a game. She saw heroes encourage each other and work together in the squad experiments. She saw heroes get excited when they realized that they were adding to their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Most importantly, she witnessed the heroes being excited about being together, learning together, and growing together. Engagement in the experiments and trays has been high, and the super challenges have been super fun!
For “Plant Creator Time” this week we discussed the challenges of squad experiments. What happens when a hero doesn’t participate? What happens when a hero takes over? Just like each part of a plant has a different and important job, so too does every hero in our studio! Heroes then each had a unique part in creating their own studio tree:
In the Fire Studio Journey Meetings, heroes took a moment of introspection to discover and celebrate the wonderful ways they’ve changed in the first half of the school year. Some of the changes heroes noticed were stronger leadership skills, better time management, deeper friendships, higher confidence in math or reading, choosing a positive attitude, more frequent acts of courage, excellent progress in their learning goals and so many more. And though the growth sometimes feels like baby steps at first, we have seen so many heroes turn those baby steps into leaps over the course of their years in the Fire Studio. So as guides and CHOICE parents, we have learned to trust the process. We feel fortunate to share that process – this beautiful journey – with all the incredible CHOICE families who came to Journey Meetings this week, and most of all, with the incredible heroes who bring their grit, growth mindset, curiosity, and kindness to the Fire Studio every day.
As a whole, the DELTA Studio heroes have made some awesome progress this year. You can hear a pin drop in Core Skills these days. Heroes are dialing in and enjoying the focused work time.
Something I love about CHOICE is that we can pivot as we see the need for change – CHOICE is on a Hero’s Journey too! We decided to make some changes to Quest the next sessions and provide a little more structure for those heroes that desire it. In the meantime, there are heroes who have really found some passions and it is delightful to watch their journey.
As the DELTA heroes progress along their journey, they are becoming incredible allies, helpers and mentors for the younger heroes. Watching all the mentoring each week is continually a highlight for me. The younger heroes respond so well to the older heroes’ influence.
As I met with you wonderful parents for Journey Meetings, we rejoiced in the changes the DELTA heroes have seen in themselves. Changes such as: an increased ability and desire to lead, sharing voices more, becoming kinder, a greater ability to focus, finding new passions, becoming more of ourselves, improving our self-talk, a greater ability and desire to do hard things, moving more into our challenge zone, and many more.
The Journey Meetings from all studios went late into the night each night. But instead of feeling tired, we walked out feeling energized. The opportunity to join together with incredible parents and support these outstanding young people on their Hero’s Journeys is an honor and a privilege. We are inspired by the heroes’ willingness to do hard things, to change, to become greater. We are grateful for the patience and support of you parents. Learning and becoming isn’t linear. It is messy and there are plenty of tears along the way. But when we reflect back on the journey, it looks like a masterpiece. Thank you for letting us be a part of these truly beautiful journeys.