When Jeff and I started Acton Academy, we spent a lot of time pondering how we could prove learning beyond simply giving a test. We thought about our own children. How did we know when they had learned to walk? They walked! How did we know they could add and subtract in their heads? We’d play the card game “21” with them. For writing? We could see a comparison of the notes and stories they had written to us over time. This was the kind of proof we wanted at Acton Academy —applying learning to real-world situations and problems to show what the children could do not just how they could take a test. We knew we’d have portfolios of work and online dashboards to give detailed data documenting progress but what were we missing?

At Acton we often talk of gifts and talents. Our current projects have added a mathematical element to this discussion: Can you calculate your odds of success? As the Eagles have been busily wrestling with the theory of probabilities and risk assessment, the Socratic discussions have all pointed to the question: Does the past determine the future? More personally, can I determine my future based on my actions today?

I awaited my cappuccino with a foggy mind and heavy heart. Why is the Acton journey so hard for parents, me included? How can we build that simple, binding trust in the process so parents feel confident even when it’s hard? Why is it hard for us to trust our children and let them experience frustration and even failure and pain. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice from my past, “Laura?” I spun around. There stood Sandy. 

This week I had the privilege of speaking to a friend and fellow Acton leader, Vijay Shah from The Humanist Academy (THA) in Dallas, Texas. It is my opinion that Vijay’s gift is to remain deeply present in every moment and he does so with great warmth, wonder, and positivity. Vijay and I talked about growth and failures and he generously shared a letter he recently wrote to his parent community. He gave me permission to share it with you. His words were just what I needed to hear and maybe just what we all need…I am on Vijay’s boat, and I hope you are too!

Long before we ever started doing 360 Surveys (also called Three Stars and a Wish or Full Circle Surveys) at Acton Academy, we did them at home when our children were young…12, 6 and 5 years old. Our goal was to keep communication open and grow closer.

Our little family game had clear rules. Each person had a turn to leave the living room and sit in another room with the door closed. While that person was out of the room, the others would jot down two things they wanted that person to keep doing as a family member and one thing they wished that person would do more often. (This can be done out loud as a group discussion with one person writing down all the answers if that’s easier.) The main rule was to be kind and specific with our words.

“I view Acton Academy as Khan Lab School’s mentor on our very own hero’s journey here in Mountain View.” —Christopher Chiang, Academic Director of the Khan Lab School

This past week, we were honored to welcome Christopher Chiang to Acton Academy. After observing a morning launch and the Eagles working silently on their independent work goals, we showed him our Points Tracker. The tracker, along with every process and system at Acton, has a clear purpose behind its design: to move each person forward on their own hero’s journey to find a calling and change the world.

Many years ago, I had a friend who fell in love quickly. Keith was madly in love with a French woman and after six months together he decided to propose. He had a ring, set the scene, and asked her to marry him. When he asked, she replied “Il fast traverser les saisons” (we need to go through the seasons together) and she somewhat rejected his proposal. As Keith’s friend I shared empathy yet I was also taken by her French perspective. To this day, I remind myself of French Kristal and how if something doesn’t feel settled perhaps it needs more time to experience the seasons.

A story from Spark Land Vol. 3 from our Assistant Director, Jeni Vash:

Have you ever had an idea of how something was going to go…only to have it turn out nothing like what you had imagined? What did that feel like? At times, it can feel like absolute failure, debilitating and disabling…even embarrassing. Defeat. But there is another pathway here for the taking: opportunity.

The infamous hero inventor, Thomas Edison, once said “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  This known hero of science created oodles of inventions that vastly changed the world and his heroic contributions to science and character of persistence is the reason why this session’s Quest at Acton Main is called Edison’s Lab. It is said to have taken Edison around 1,000 attempts to invent the light bulb. He was determined, focused, and relentless in his pursuit for greatness. Can you imagine, 1,000 times? Many years ago in Spark we counted out one bead for every try! Can you imagine your life without electricity or recorded music?

Many years ago my 5 year old daughter asked me “what does love feel like?” The question caught me off guard and so I muddled through and started talking about butterflies, smiles, and then veered towards a better definition: you love someone when you feel safe to be yourself and you are excited to see and spend time with them. My daughter thought for a moment and then immediately lit up and said “I love Cora!” Cora was her new fellow 5 year old friend at Acton and that day they were about to have a playdate. My daughter was all action and that evening she nonchalantly asked Cora to marry her. Cora was a lady of many options and she kindly asked if she could think about it. This was my daughter’s first rejection but it also was her first experience thinking about the intricacies of love and love outside her immediate family. Love is many things and on this LOVE day I’d like to share the many intricacies of how love is abundant and diverse at Acton. 

“This is the most productive I’ve ever seen our studio work!” “It feels really good to have accomplished so much!” These were the words of two different learners in two separate studios this week at Acton Main. What’s most amazing is their words were echoed by many learners with ripples of variety. So, what’s different at Acton? Sure, the new space and the rays of sunshine has helped inspire learners however the one thing that has changed this session is our school’s approach to goal setting. Learners are making plans and their plans are truly SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)!

Imagine this…you put on a magical pair of glasses that when you look through the lenses they give you the ability to see the world with fresh eyes. Your foe now appears like an opportunity for a second chance, a possible friend. Your work that felt too hard is now a magical mountain adventure to climb. The studio routine that once felt monotonous is now a mystery game to discover and find your flow. Putting on these magical glasses is the practice that every Guide at Acton strives to wear daily. No, it is not a literal pair of glasses but instead it is the mindset of Maria Montessori: to look at each learner with fresh eyes.

Imagine this…it’s the morning of Creativity Camp and you spot 3 learners huddled together. They are focused, eyes with a glimmer, and you wonder what they could be so excited about? One learner says to the other “That’s awesome, we have to do that!” The other learner says “Yeah, that’s good, but maybe we could try this one, it looks hard but I think we can do it.” You wander over and ask what they are so interested in and they reply “We are looking at the menu, we want to get started right away!” It’s not a menu for lunch, it’s a menu of choice activities for Acton campers. The menu has visual art options, theatre options, and the favorite of this trio: culinary delights!

Through out the year our Guide team has been consistently discussing and pursuing the topic of joy. We’ve been asking one another where joy lives in our day, what activities and interactions light us up with joy, and we have been experimenting with observing the many ways learners exhibit joy as they learn. Finding joy in the simple and the complex journey has been our team’s pursuit and top priority. As models of life long learning, we know that when each Guide exhibits joyful work there is a ripple effect of learners engaging and investing in themselves and their community.

Imagine walking into school and seeing banners of the Slytherin House, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff flying high from the ceiling. You hear the magical and hypnotic sound of the Harry Potter theme play in the distance and as you arrive to your Quest discussion you are told that you have magic inside you and a chance to train as a wizard. Later, the sorting hat is placed upon your head and with tickles and grumbles the hat finally announces your placement in a House that best fits your personality and future. You beam with joy to begin your magical adventure! This is the memory of every Discovery and Adventure learner on the first day of this session’s Quest.

A story from Spark Land Vol. 2 from our Assistant Director, Jeni Vash:

Once upon a time in Sparkland, a new city was born. The only parameters: a giant cardboard box lid for the platform and placement of each learner within a team. Guides threw out a few questions to launch learners into action: What is the purpose of your city? Do people live there? Are there stores, restaurants, businesses?

The days are getting shorter, darker, and there are only a handful of days left on our calendar year. Fall is approaching Winter and as I honor this change of season around me I was reminded of a helpful Blog post from Acton co-founder Laura Sandefer about the inner seasons of an Acton Parent. Today, I’d like to share Laura’s words with you as her thoughts have always guided me…

“Along the Acton journey, I have found a predictable pattern in my inner seasons. They go something like this:

My son quietly sat in the backseat as we drove home from after school activities. It was calmly quiet and all of a sudden I hear him gasp with excitement! He shares “Can I tell you what I want to be when I grow up?” With intrigue I said “Yes, I would love to know.” My 5 year old son then rippled with words. “I decided I want to be Architecture! I am so good at building and drawing and I love buildings so I think…my new passion is architecture and I’m really sorry but I changed my mind. I wanted to be a pizza maker but I have to change! Is that ok?” My heart burst with joy that this Quest deeply inspired my son and my heart broke that he felt he needed to choose his profession now, that it may not be ok to change. I thought: Does he need to decide this or can he just love building?

This week we welcomed a prospective family to our campus and I was reminded of the importance of Socrates as I shared an overview of our Acton school. Acton is based in equal parts Montessori philosophy, Entrepreneurship, Socratic discussions, and is wrapped up in a hero’s journey narrative. Today I’d like to share wisdom about Socrates from the best Acton source we have, co-founder Laura Sandefer. Below are her words about Socrates and advice for Acton parents from her inspirational parent Blog.

A story from Spark Land Vol. 1 from our Assistant Director, Jeni Vash:

Once upon a time, Spark Land Studios (ages 4-7) began engaging in a new activity called SparkPLAY. SparkPLAY was new; no one really understood exactly what to do or why they were doing it. There were strange new materials that were normally not available, such as large buckets, wooden boards, pvc pipes, tarps, bungees, and more! There were new groups to work with, new ideas to consider, new boundaries....new waters to navigate.