Author: JVnPaul

1/18/22- 1/23/22 As we reached the half way point of the school year this week, I found myself asking “Are we half way there?” The question that followed quickly after was “What does ‘there’ mean?” Gratefully “there” looks different for each studio and each hero; and isn’t defined simply by a set of badges. What… Continue reading 1/2 way “there”

One of the many ideas that attracted me to the Acton philosophy is the belief that we are all on our own Hero’s Journey, while also providing a mechanism for encouraging excellence and helping us become the best us. As we met for Journey Meetings last week, it was so apparent that each hero truly… Continue reading Our own journey…

1/3/22-1/6/22 The Entrepreneur quest is foundational to an Acton Academy. There are so many valuable lessons to be learned from entrepreneurship. Each studio took a different approach to it this year. In the Spark Studio… We will experience the entrepreneurship and business quest through our exploration of creativity. As we learn the basics of an economy… Continue reading Budding entrepreneurs

12/13-12-16 The holiday season is often a time of giving gifts. As we end our session (and the year) perhaps heroes will wrap up more gifts than they even realize. In the Spark Studio… We had so much fun this session learning about traditions around the world. Every day the heroes were asking insightful questions.… Continue reading Wrapping it all up

12/6-12/12 With only two weeks left of the session and intriguing cultures and religions to learn about, heroes in both studios are focused. They are fascinated by what they are learning and quick to share their latest discoveries. In the Spark Studio… we continue to celebrate different holidays and explore the associated traditions. Heroes are… Continue reading Focus and fascination

11/29-12/5 “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Heroes are familiar with and love the holidays and traditions that they celebrate during this time of the year. But what does the rest of the world do during this time of year? And what does the rest of the world celebrate during the rest of… Continue reading The most wonderful time of the year…

In the Spark Studio… the first part of Exhibition week isn’t too much different from any other week. Heroes continue to enjoy outside time. Heroes continue to work hard on their works. We saw so many heroes giving presentations to one another this week. And heard such an increase in growth mindset language. Truly these… Continue reading What does exhibition week really look like?

11/8-11/14 Many founders of Acton Academies talk about running their school from afar. I have never wanted (or needed) to do so. I enjoy each day at CHOICE and love being in the thick of it. However, due to COVID quarantine our whole family has been at home this week. As I stepped out, it… Continue reading Watching from a distance

10/1-10/7 As we walked into the jelly fish room a Fire Studio hero exclaimed “That’s my animal! That’s what I’m studying!” She then proceeded to share several interesting facts with us about jelly fish. The opportunity to see, touch and feed real life animals, elicited joy and laughter from heroes in both studios and for… Continue reading Real relationships

10/25-10/31 What does learning look like? There is no simple answer to that question. Learning takes such a variety of forms. It looks different from studio to studio, from hero to hero, from day to day, and even from moment to moment. What did it look like this week at CHOICE? In the Spark Studio…… Continue reading What does learning look like?