Weekly Updates
Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update
Reading, Writing and Maths
The PS Eagles moved into new reading and writing work, as well as math work this week. They are progressing so well thanks to their positive work ethic and joy of learning!
Pushing the Boundaries
Incidents of Harm continue from the previous week (4 separate incidents of harm this week alone). To address this, distractions were reduced and flow during work time and clean-up time was lengthened.
From each occurrence, the PS Studio emerges a safer, calmer environment, watched over by each PS Eagle’s promises not to harm others and the assurance that those who are not ready to uphold these promises will be separated from the tribe until they are ready. Each Harm incident marks the PS Eagles’ testing of the system of promises and the Studio Guardrails. The PS Eagles themselves have been taking the promises seriously since last week.
Stars and Seeds
The PS Eagles were challenged to ‘Build a Tribe’ by discovering Stars and Seeds. The challenge was to cut open an apple to discover what was inside. The PS Eagles used the visual to reflect about their own Stars and Seeds – what are the things about themselves that they are very proud of, and what seeds the want to plant in their lives.
By sharing their hopes and dreams, they bond together as a Tribe.
Quotes from the discussion:
S: I love cartwheels and I would like to be a Chemist.
AB: I want to be a Vet and open a Pet Shop.
AZ: I want to be the Queen of Australia and become a Mother.
AA: I want to be a Hero.
AR: I want to be a Policemen and catch Bad Guys.
Elementary Studio (ES) Update
Studio Closed!
On no! The ES Eagles were shocked by the sight of a locked-up Studio on Friday! The shock quickly turned to frustration. What was the cause of this?
It was revealed that evidence had been gathered for some time now that Studio Maintenance had not been kept up – a promise that the ES Eagles are held up to as part of having ownership and responsibility for their Studio. According to Maria Montessori, there is, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”
Eagles in Acton Academy KL have in place a Studio Maintenance Board which lists out the duties for each section of the Studio, including the kitchen, and the Eagles assigned to these sections. At 2pm every day, the ES Eagles begin their Studio Maintenance before the Closing Circle at the end of the day. The ES Eagles kept on top of things at the beginning of the year, but, after a week or two, there were signs of slacking off.
The Guides continued to trust the process and allow the tribe to work it out. There was evidence of Eagle Buddies reminding each other to complete their Studio Maintenance responsibilities. The ES Eagles who were carrying out their responsibilities, however, were experiencing resistance from some members of the tribe. It was evident that frustration was settling in. The ES Studio was becoming messier and messier. At the end of the week, the ES Studio and the kitchen were in total disarray.
The decision was made by the Guides to close the ES Studio.
The ES Eagles who arrived first were shocked to see what had happened. It wasn’t long before other ES Eagles started to arrive and everyone was looking at the posted pictures and conditions of re-entry. Some ES Eagles were quick to respond by cleaning up areas that were immediately accessible like the kitchen and the small meeting room that they had been using. This soon turned into a strike among the ES girls when they felt that they were always the ones leading and asking the boys to clean up, while the boys didn’t seem to care. They pooled in their support for each other and sat by the stairs in protest.
The other half of the Studio decided to keep themselves busy by doing other things outside of the Studio. The girls, though on protest, kept returning to the other group to check on what they were doing. Later, some of the boys approached the girls and asked what they were doing. The girls replied that they were on strike and had chosen to do nothing in protest.
This went on for quite some time, and, when it seemed that they had reached an impasse, Mr. Jia approached the lead Eagles in the Studio and asked about what was going on. After gaining some understanding, Mr. Jia empowered the ES Eagles by offering political advice and tools to lead them – including exercising the power to be selective in who would be allowed to return to the Studio. He also reminded them that they could place conditions on the usage of their Studio after Studio hours (some of the mess was created by an after school program that is held in the Studio after hours). With these tools in mind, Mr. Jia asked what they planned to do now.
The Lead Eagles gave permission to Mr. Jia to collect distractions from the ES Eagles, including card games and computers. They then called for an Emergency Town Hall. Some ES Eagles were reluctant, and that was when the Lead Eagles exercised the right to be selective in who would be allowed back into the Studio.
Very soon, the ES Eagles were crowding the Studio main door, asking to be let in. They were told by the Lead Eagles that they would only be allowed in if they agreed to participate in the Emergency Town Hall.
Emergency Town Hall
This has, thus far, been the most serious Town Hall meeting in the ES Studio, and the ES Eagles were fully engaged for a whole hour (with a 5-minute break in between). It was professionally conducted in a very orderly and civilized manner.
The ES Eagles worked through the first order of business and decided to cancel this week’s Fun Friday and replace it with silent Core Skills. They decided to hold a double celebration next week, which would include the gift-giving and a movie. They also decided to reinstate the Studio Maintenance Checker and the Studio Checkers.
The ES Eagles then went on to vote to reinstate the Eagle Bucks System. During the 5-minute break, the Guides wrote down some questions pertaining to the Eagle Bucks System. The Lead Eagles then proceeded to continue the meeting and had the ES Eagles answer the Guides’ questions, opening with, “Mr. Aaron has some questions regarding the EB system, seeking for clarity and asking us to be more specific.”
The ES Eagles also took the opportunity to work through other issues pertaining to the Studio, like:
- The shut-down of the library (yes, the library has been closed, more on that further in this blog)
- Cups left in the kitchen
- The after-school program usage of the Studio.
To address these other issues, the ES Eagles decided to call for a campus-wide Town Hall next Monday morning. This would include the PS and MS Studios, so after the Emergency Town Hall, the Lead Eagles sent out emails throughout the campus inviting the 2 other Studios.
Upon wrapping up the Emergency Town Hall, an email detailing the decisions made was sent out to the ES community, and the ES Eagles tidied up their Studio.
We Are Offended, Said the Books
The ActonKL library has been closed for a week, now. Here is the letter that the ES Studio received from the books.
“We have been thrown everywhere like Frisbees and not put back, you broke some of our friend’s spines without saying sorry NOR fixing them; you climbed on our shelves and jumped up and down! Some of you even use our beds (the beanbags) to fight! Our area is supposed to be peace and quiet for anyone to enjoy our company but you have used it as a playground and made noises like a ZOO! How disrespectful of you all. We feel really hurt and offended.”
This was yet another wake-up call to the Eagles about what it means to have access and privileges. If this access and these privileges are abused, there is a consequence.
A tough week of challenges and growth for the ES Eagles! Looking forward to next week when reflection and forward movement will bring the Studio into a new beginning.
Middle Studio & Launchpad (MSLP) Update
The Hardest Day So Far
This week has been all about Saturday’s fundraising dinner. It has turned out to be among the hardest days ever in all of the MS Eagles’ years at Acton.
Hosting an Event, a 3-course meal for almost 30 guests, is Hard. Doing it for the first time is Even Harder.
It’s Harder when the blender breaks and you spill most of the first course 2 hours before you are supposed to serve it.
It’s Harder when you have not tested the venue at night.
It’s Harder when it’s raining.
It’s Harder when, the moment you need the oven, the switch connection is broken. Oh, and the oven is not churning pizzas out fast enough.
It’s Harder when you plan for a beautiful ambiance, and the fairy light battery goes out.
It’s Harder when the rice is not the consistency you wanted it to be.
It’s Harder when you are so tired that the ratatouille went in with the plastic cover.
It’s Harder when you realize the Wifi on the rooftop is weak.
It’s Harder when your projector dies halfway having run out of batteries.
Not to mention accidents, near-misses and the under-estimation of certain ingredients.
It’s Harder because everything that can go wrong IS going wrong.
It’s Harder because it is the real world, with real customer requests, tensions, and cash.
It’s Hardest because you want to give up. And call it quits. But there are 30 guests from whom you’ve received payment and have made promises to.
7pm – the guests are arriving and the problems are still unresolved. This is the staring into the abyss of the Hero’s Journey.
The pressure is on. Boiling high.
Heroes don’t give up. They persist.
Broken blender – Let’s remake the soup.
Untested venue – Let’s wing it.
Rain – Let’s just push through it – it will stop.
Oven switch issues – Let’s use an extension cord and reach out for help.
Under-cooked rice – Let’s cook it longer.
Plastic in the oven – Oops! Luckily a team-mate saw it and took it out quickly.
Weak Wifi – Oh, replace it with a phone hotspot.
Dead projector battery – Oops. Remember to bring a charger next time.
Slow pizza production – Too bad. The children have to wait.
No fairy lights – Too bad. Bear with it.
Everything else that is out of control – Do an Elsa (let it go).
But, “We are in panic mode. And not thinking straight.”
To the event manager, this is a disaster. You are in firefighting mode. Just keep moving and serving. Then it is dessert time and some pizzas haven’t even been served.
Yet, from the outside, this feels like a pretty decent event. There is music, a movie for the children, good food, and good company. The hiccups here and there – understandable. Everybody is having a good time.
Phew! Finally! The night is over! Oh, and then there’s the cleanup after all the guests have left. And another night of this. Oh well, let’s do it all over again, now that we’re wiser. And kinder.
We might wish for a smooth journey with an introduction, some neat exercises, a review by an authority, and a tidy take-away. But learning at Acton is best when you can see every single Eagle pushed to the limit, working together towards a common goal and getting things done. And then, when it’s all done and dusted, a reflection serves to record lessons learned so that tomorrow is better. This is transformative learning.
This is the real Hero’s Journey. The one where you pay through hard work, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears.
Epilogue
The next day, the Eagles hit it high. Andre, the soup chef, woke up at 7:00am to get extra ingredients. Considering that he cleaned up the kitchen, reached home at midnight the day prior. He was determined to make his soup perfect, and early. So did every other Eagle. And they did it.
