Elementary Studio Spotlight
What would you do with a chance? The first week was exciting at The Village School: new Heroes were bursting with energy (a joyful mixture of nerves and anticipation) and returning Heroes made a graceful transition from comfortable norms to embracing change.
The Lip Dub Challenge is always a big hit with the Heroes. The published version will be available in the Parent Drive soon! In addition to being a lot of fun, the Heroes practiced collaboration as they negotiated lyrics and dance moves. They gave each other specific feedback and improved the video over 5 drafts! Both of these skills will be essential at The Village School.
The Heroes started their first quest, The Prediction Tools Quest, which explores the question, “Can you determine your future? What actions will increase your success?” This Quest introduces the Heroes to the many tools available to them in their self-directed learning environment, including Freedom Levels, safe usage of Technology, and Town Meeting for community problem-solving.
Part of this Quest includes Core Skills. Core Skills are the foundation that every Hero will need for their calling (think math, reading, writing, etc.) This week, the Heroes reviewed math material and started reading. Lots of reading!
A time for community gathering- we have been eating lunch together each day.
We will end our week with Character Call-outs, a time for Heroes to celebrate outstanding character traits. I’ll share some of my own CCs- I saw a Hero put away several stools after discussion showing care for the studio. Another Hero offered encouragement and advice when a fellow traveler was upset- I’d call that empathy. There are so many instances to share, but I’ll end with one last snippet: on the very first part of the Lip Dub Challenge, the Heroes were asked to memorize the song lyrics. I saw a Hero struggle at first, overwhelmed by the newness of the studio and the great task ahead. The Hero started with the first line and after a couple of fits and starts, had memorized most of the song. The Hero demonstrated courage to begin and perseverance to see the task through to the end. It reminded me that you never know how far you’ll get until you start. Or in other words…
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
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