Game On!

(Year 4, Week 30)

Farewell

Monday was a somber day. It was the day the heroes found out about their fellow hero was leaving. Her and her family decided that it was time to go on a big adventure far away. They are a family that loves to travel and it is deeply rooted in their personal hero’s journeys. However, that didn’t make it any better for the friends she had to say, “see you later,” to. On Monday the heroes were told it would be her last day. There were a few tears and a whole lot of, “let’s celebrate her!”

So, the heroes got to work and the guide adjusted Quest. While work can wait, having a proper “see you later,”for a friend simply cannot. Around 1pm, the heroes gathered round for a quick launch and then dashed off into a scavenger hunt. They ran all over the studio and outside looking for clues. There were a lot of giggles and tons of energy. After they finished their task, they gathered at the rug and decided to break into Hero’s Choice. This is usually reserved for Friday’s but this gave them the opportunity to chat with their friend and to make up a going away gift for her. The heroes gathered round and created a card, signing well wishes and their names.

At the end of the closing, the space was dedicated to their fellow hero. Everyone went around in a circle and shared warm thoughts about her and what they were going to miss. It ended with them giving her a card and lots of hugs. While tears were shed, the memories she brought to this studio will never be forgotten. Everyone was sad to see this hero go but so excited for her next adventure. Until next time…

Harry Potter

Last session, two of the heroes approached the guide and said, “we would like to take on the challenge of creating a Writer’s Workshop.” Amazing! In the studio, what is rarely seen from the outside, is the initiative of these young people. Not once did a guide say, “someone should take on the Writer’s Workshop.” They came up with this solely on their own. From enjoying Writer’s Workshops to even thinking how they can be improved. They spent the entire session using their time in collaboration to come up with launches, price out items and space out challenges. This proved to be no easy feat.

“How long do launches need to be?”

“What if the heroes dislike this challenge?”

“How do we decide what should come next?”

When it comes to planning out a curriculum it is hard to know what needs to be done and in what order. However, even though they faced these questions, they finished the entire Writer’s Workshop with a day to spare. Their Writer’s Workshop is focused around Harry Potter. They have had challenges this week like, “Create your own HP character,” and “Design your own spell.” The blog this session is going to be filled with their triumphs and possible failures. Filled with the heroes work and filled with showing how learner driven is more than just an option when it comes to learning, but the backbone of learning.

Neighborhood Games

The heroes have one word for Quest this session, “FANTASTIC!” During the next seven weeks the heroes are participating in the Neighborhood Games Quest. The Quest will be a series of different challenges all based on levels and types. There will be four levels throughout the Quest that the heroes need to compete on. The types of games are as follows:

1. physical
2. strategy
3. social
4. role play

They have to complete a certain number of challenges, in each category, in a specific level, to move onto the next level. The first day of Quest this session was a long one! They had to learn about the rules, levels, types of games and how to fill out their bracket. They held on strong for thirty minutes, then started to get a bit antsy. However, they had one more task to complete. They had to design their violations. Their specific guardrails that everyone will be held to. They talked, debated and voted. It took less than ten minutes for them to come together and decide what couldn’t be tolerated on the playing field. Below are photos of some of the team squads!

Once violations were set, they were off and running. They charged over to the wall to find the level 1 games. To much surprise, they decided to join together as an entire studio and play games that would include everyone. The games they chose were Red Rover, Duck, Duck, Goose and Hide-n-Seek. They laughed for two hours and helped one another through the process. All of the heroes walked away from game day 1 without a single violation.

The quest this session is designed to help in these specific areas:

1. Sportsmanship and teamwork.
2. Strategy and decision making
3. Critical thinking
4. Physical fitness and endurance

It will be fun to watch them overcome the many challenges that games bring, especially in matters of strategy and teamwork. This first week is solely level 1 and hopefully in the next few weeks, heroes will be soaring through the challenges.

Peace Table

This session, accountability looks different. There was much debate last session about how to hold people accountable. What it should look like and how the system should be structured. The heroes decided that the red light system was no longer working and better served them when the studio was being put in place. They also thought the language could be improved with one another. Meaning, kindness needed to be a stronger commitment in the studio.

A few of the veteran heroes talked about the former peace table and a new accountability system was put into place! Well, just for the first week. The heroes were asked if they wanted to totally move forward with the new system or try it out for a week. They decided a week would be better, then they could adjust or fix things that might need some work. This is how the new accountability system works.

1. A hero is seen breaking the guardrails and is asked by the hero holding them accountable to meet at the peace table.
2. They ask the guide or a member of hero buck council to be the mediator.
3. They share their feelings, using words like, “When this happened, I felt….” and, “Can you try hard to improve working on x….?”
4. They then come to an agreement on if the hero should lose a hero buck or be given another chance.
5. Once a hero receives -3 hero bucks, a strike is given.

The biggest change with this new accountability system is the talking before acting. In the studio, most of the day, heroes could be heard saying, “I am moving you up!” If a sheepdog in the studio didn’t get involved, many heroes had feelings were hurt. Now, it is their duty to talk and talk kindly before anyone is held accountable. On Monday of next week. They will be reflecting on if they felt this system was stronger and better for their studio. Stay tuned!

Town Hall

On Friday, the theme of town hall was much like the theme of the week: accountability.

During the week a hero approached the guide and the following conversation ensued:

“You need to do something about the chromebook cords.”

The guide then asked,

“What is going on with the cords?”

The hero said,

“Well, they’re a mess!”

The guide replied,

“Whose responsibility is it to treat the cords and Chromebooks with respect? Is it the guide or the heroes?”

“I guess it’s ours.”

“Do you believe everyone is treating them with respect? Or does it need to be brought up to the studio?”

“Oh, I know! I can bring it up in Town Hall!”

Friday rolled around and the hero took on the leadership role of bringing it up. She announced there was a massive problem and all of the heroes agreed. They sprung into action and decided on a plan. That certain heroes were going to untangle all of the cords. Then there were going to be heroes who took it upon themselves to be in charge of getting out computers and putting them away. A big responsibility and honor. The heroes were going to check in with the system to see if it is working. They decided a week was long enough to know, and as one her put it,

“I mean, anything is better than what we have been doing! The only place we can go is up!”

Wrap-Up

Monday was a somber day. It was the day the heroes found out about their fellow hero was leaving. While tears were shed, the memories she brought to this studio will never be forgotten. Everyone was sad to see this hero go but so excited for her next adventure. Last session, two of the heroes approached the guide and said, “we would like to take on the challenge of creating a Writer’s Workshop.” They will be running the entire Writer’s Workshop from challenges to questions. No easy feat and an amazing accomplishment. The heroes have one word for Quest this session, “FANTASTIC!” During the next seven weeks the heroes are participating in the Neighborhood Games Quest. The Quest will be a series of different challenges all based on levels and types. There will be four levels throughout the Quest that the heroes need to compete on. This session, accountability looks different. There was much debate last session about how to hold people accountable. What it should look like and how the system should be structured. The heroes decided that the red light system was no longer working and better served them when the studio was being put in place. They also thought the language could be improved with one another. Meaning, kindness needed to be a stronger commitment in the studio. The week ended with the heroes stepping up and taking accountability for their Chromebook cord mess. Lot’s of leadership and personal responsibility shined through during the week.