The energy was high as the Discovery heroes flooded through the door on their way back inside from free time on Wednesday. Most heroes made their way into the Discovery Lab to prepare for launch, but one hero walked into the Discovery Lab, picked up the peace tray, and left the room. He brought it into the Discovery Library, where two of his fellow travelers were sitting, both visibly upset.
The peace tray is a tool used in the Discovery Studio to solve personal conflicts. When there is an argument between heroes, the peace tray can help them work through it. It has different tools for conflict resolution, like suggested talking points that guide the learners through putting words to their feelings.
So on Wednesday when two heroes hurt each other’s feelings, a fellow traveler decided to step in and help. He grabbed the peace tray and sat down with the emotional learners.
Seeing how upset both heroes were, I sat there anxiously, unsure of how they were going to respond. That quickly faded as the fellow traveler effortlessly led them through a beautiful conversation about how they were feeling and why they were feeling that way. He was patient and gave each hero the time to explain their feelings. He was calm and reassuring, letting each hero know that he was listening, and he was empathetic, telling the heroes that he understood how they were feeling.
The two heroes gave each other sincere, heartfelt apologies. The fellow traveler then said, “So what do you think we should do differently in the future?” and they brainstormed a solution together. Then, the three of them stood up and walked into the Discovery Lab, where they joined their fellow travelers just in time for the beginning of launch.
Earlier that morning a similar conversation had taken place in the calmer corner in Spark where there are tools to help the heroes talk about their emotions and brainstorm solutions. Wednesday morning, when a Spark hero walked over to the calming corner, a fellow traveler approached, eager to help the hero work through their feelings.
“Are you feeling sad? Angry? Tired?” the hero asked while flipping through cards labeled with different feelings.
“I’m feeling sad.”
“Okay, what do you want to try to help you feel better? Do you want to try taking a drink of water or closing your eyes?”
“Maybe I’ll drink some water.”
“Okay, try that and then come back to see if you feel better.”
Heroes at The Village School don’t shy away from talking about their feelings and emotions. They have tools to help them work through tough situations and they use them frequently. They step up when needed and help their fellow travelers work through hard feelings, not because they have to, but because they care.
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