And now we come to the most controversial system in the Acton Academy governance design… the Eagle Bucks System.
Eagle Bucks System
The Eagle Bucks System is an economic system that rewards and creates accountability, much like the monetary system in the real world.
The #1 caveat for new studios: only introduce this when there is a need from the Eagles. Acton Austin didn’t have Eagle Bucks for the first four years.
Here’s how the Acton Austin Eagles described Eagle Bucks:
And here’s how it works at ActonKL:
- Pre-School (Spark):
- We use Eagle Bucks to keep track of work. When an Eagle completes their work on each Montessori or activity station, they earn 2 or 4 sticks. 10 sticks make a star, and 10 stars make an Eagle Buck.
- On average, PS Eagles earn 10-20 sticks a day. So one Eagle Buck is a lot of hard work!
- Every end of Sprint, Eagles can spend their EBs on goodies!
- There is no ‘asking’ for EBs yet. Perhaps one day they might ask for them :))
- Elementary & Middle:
- Every word said on the video above applies to ActonKL’s Elementary and Middle School Eagles.
Potential Drawbacks
- There are times when the Eagle Bucks System gets abused. This gets resolved through Townhall.
- In Malaysia, our save face and high context culture makes Eagle Bucks accountability challenging to uphold. You might even consider that, in general, Malaysians lack honesty. We are, after all, among the lowest performers in a worldwide wallet returning experiment.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/lost-wallet-civic-honesty/
- This (the cultural friction) is something the Eagles have to break through by holding themselves to higher standards of accountability.
- The Eagle Bucks System is sensitive also because we have a different relationship with money. Having money might seem evil, or it might seem like the right thing to do because that’s what makes the world go round. You might be a hoarder or a spender. And it is likely your children will imitate and learn through your ways.
- The Eagle Bucks System provides safe exposure to all the strengths and pitfalls, advantages and disadvantages different relationships with money can have at an early age. An Eagle once said:
“Acton Academy is a simulation of the real world.”
Humans, interdependent of each other, trade, store, and count. Naturally, we created money as a way to facilitate all this. Trust that your child will learn through a simulated world, gain responsibility and develop a clear understanding of money. It takes lots of courage to ask a peer for an Eagle Buck. Many Eagles struggle with that for the reasons addressed in the video. There is also the added cultural issue here in Malaysia of not wanting to be singled out for any reason. Stepping up to the plate is a difficult thing for many here who’d rather keep their heads down.
But we have seen many Eagles, especially young ones, taking the leap of courage to ask for Eagle Bucks when the need to keep their peers accountable arises. They would rather have this environment than having the Guides step in. Recently, one Eagle shared her point of view in a community-wide weekly survey:
“I think that Guides are stepping in too much in certain situations. When we are being noisy and ‘horsing around’, the Guides step in after a few minutes of observing and immediately call for a studio-wide Eagle Buck deduction. What bothers me is not the deductions but the fact that the guides keep stepping in every time we are not being intentional.
When I did the OQ (Onboarding Quest), I had to watch this video as part of one of the challenges: https://vimeo.com/170170039/
In summary, it states that guides don’t step in unless it is a Health and Safety violation. They let the Eagles take charge and decide how to handle the situation. When the situation gets so bad, the Eagles come to the Guides – not the other way around.
In the situations where the Guides here at Acton step in way too quickly, it is not because of a Health and Safety violation and I don’t think they are Clarifying The Game. If the Guides keep stepping in, it defeats the purpose of the studio being Eagle-led.
I understand that Eagle’s don’t seem to keep themselves and the studio accountable when it comes to intentionality, but if the Guides keep stepping in every time something happens, we will never get the chance to try to manage ourselves, come up with solutions, and make our own decisions and EB deductions.”
Advice to Parents: Trust your child
When an Eagle is hurt by negative Eagle Bucks, we adopt a message borrowed from Laura Sandefer:
“We love you. We are excited for you to make the choice to get back on track. Fail cheaply and often for that is where learning happens. The main point of the Hero’s Journey is not that we will not fail. It is that we get back up when we do.”
The fallen Eagle will rise again if their support system shows them love in a way that honours the light in their eyes. If they are supported and encouraged to get back up and fly.
Cultivating the Eagle Bucks system to a successful point is an emotional ride, but it’s part of maturity & growth. It is a long, often painful process that involves honesty, courage, accountability, and responsibility. Yet it is with these habits that one day our Eagles will stand up with their shoulders square and their heads held high and call out unethical behaviour ranging from corruption to fraud to taking short cuts. And then you bet the country will change. Perhaps our grandchildren will live in trust & safety, like in Switzerland, rather than in an apa-pun-boleh Malaysia.
Here are two articles by Laura Sandefer that provide a deeper dive into the challenges and the beauty of the Eagle Bucks System:
This week, we had the perfect opportunity to see the Eagle Bucks System at work in the ES studio. Though seemingly harsh, it highlights the power of the system in all its inglory and truly upholds the Eagles to the heights we all know they can achieve.
Weekly Updates
Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update
Marshmallows! Marshmallows!
Roasted (some burned) marshmallows to be exact. This week the PS Eagles had a go at starting their own campfire! On Day 1 the Eagles observed and gathered firewood. On Day 2 the Eagles took charge and tried starting the fire on their own!
Some Eagles had a go at lighting a match stick and just as quickly as they dived in, some learned that holding a match a certain way burns their fingers. The Eagles were eager but cautious.
At the end of the challenge, we reflected on what each Eagle learned through the experience.
- Fire is hot.
- We should keep a safe distance so that we don’t get burned.
- Wood “pops” when it’s burning and if we are too close it burns our toe.
- How to roast a marshmallow.
5. How to eat a marshmallow.
Mama, We’re Going Camping Now!
At the end of the week, the Eagles had one last challenge, which was to set up 2 camping tents on their own. The Eagles were very eager to begin and got right to it. Before long, frustration began to set in. Some Eagles were saying they didn’t know what to do while others felt that their fellow Eagles weren’t really helping.
The challenge was not just for the Eagles but also for the Guide.
Guide asks:
“How can I step back and not engage?”
Guide distracts himself by wondering, “If the tents don’t survive this ordeal, can I get a refund citing their vulnerability to Preschoolers.”
After much persistence from Azalea and Moez, the Eagles managed to partially set up their camping tents – quite an achievement, taking into consideration the height difference between an Eagle and the tents. Claps all around!!
There will be more time next week to keep practicing!
Elementary Studio (ES) Update
Survival Quest: Water Cycle
The Eagles learned that the water cycle is so important to us because water is a life force and we need to know how to harness it. They did research into water: “Ohhh … Now I know that the water cycle is also called the hydrologic cycle … what a funny word!”, and made a Cloud in a Bottle to explore how water vaporizes.
In preparation for the Sprint-end camping trip, the Eagles learned how to filter water the natural way. They used sand, a coffee filter & dirt to get clean water. Nobody dared to drink it, though!
Identity: Stones and Love Language
Friday’s Quest was to explore your identity. The Eagles chose 3 traits that identified them, not necessarily their strongest traits but possibly traits that they want to develop, and painted them onto stones. One Eagle said, “My stones would say: Funny, creative and adventurous. What about yours?”
Then they did the 5 Love Languages test http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/children/ to see how they show and receive love the best. The 5 Love Languages are:
- Words and Affirmation
- Quality Time
- Receiving Gifts
- Physical Touch
- Acts of Service
Ask your Eagle about their test to see how to love and care for them.
Intentionality
It was a solemn morning when freedom was taken away from the Eagles. Everyone scurried back to their seats after the announcement. There were moments of dissatisfaction, reflection, and ownership of the event. It was tough to see the Eagles not being their chirpy selves.
As Game Makers, the Guides had witnessed low studio intentionality during the week. There had been violations of the Studio Contract every day.
The Guides led a Socratic discussion with the Eagles asking, ‘*Would two wrongs balance out and make an action right?’” At the end of the discussion, the Guides were disheartened to announce the withdrawal of the Eagles’ freedom due to low intentionality to honor the studio contract and promises to one another.
Chelsea initiated the second circle time. She came to the Guides to ask if she could lead. Her intention was simple and pure, she just wanted to ‘cheer everyone up’. The Guides asked, other than ‘cheering everyone up’, what message did she want to convey in the circle time? She answered, maybe she can talk about freedom and responsibility and to get everyone together. The Guides asked if she needed help and she said Jun Hung could help.
Both of them led the circle. ROE was good. They talked about freedom vs responsibility. The importance of Eagle Bucks. They compared Acton to traditional schools.
Chelsea said, “It’s very hard to earn trust and freedom. We need to work hard for that.”
Chelsea said, “It’s funny when people get angry because they are losing free time and video game time.”
Jun Hung said, “People just take everything for granted and this is not right.”
Everyone was happy and cheerful at the end of circle time. It was an inspiring moment as these Eagles rose up to face reality in the studio. Like the real world, Acton is both a magical and messy place. Mistakes happen. Are the Eagles capable of rising back up? What will unfold next week? Let us trust the children and wait.
Middle Studio (MS) Update
Cloud in a Bottle Challenge
To explore the properties of water, the MS Eagles in charge of week 2 decided to do the Cloud in a Bottle experiment.
MS Camping Skills Challenge
Week 2 saw the continuation of survival skill training for the MS Eagles. There was work with bamboo and hole digging to set up shelters against the sun and rain. The Eagles went through frustration but persevered, experimented and researched into the most efficient way to get the jobs done.
Water Filtration Quest
All in all, it was another amazing week of ups and downs, challenges and breakthroughs. Let’s see where the journey takes us next week!