Trust the Eagles

One of the problems we had in the studio from the beginning of the year was that the Eagles were late all the time: late for the circle, returning late from lunch, late for arts/sports, etc. Almost every activity would begin a few minutes late. For every delay Alden would give them remarks, and after a few days we asked them what would help them not to be late. They suggested one of them will be a “timekeeper”: Every day another Eagle announces the times and makes sure there will be no delays. We tried this solution, and still, some Eagles were late. Not all the time, but there were many delays. You probably know the attitude toward being late in a regular school: the teacher gets angry, talks to the parents, punishes, etc. Of course, all these are not relevant tools at Acton, but Alden and I were not sure how to improve the situation.

So we asked the Eagles and one of the students (5^th grade) came up with a stunning idea that she had suggested at the weekly Town meeting: she offered to play a “Treasure Hunt” game using the U.S map. Alden and I would decide on a U.S state in which the treasure would be hidden. Every day the Eagles had not been late to a single activity, they would get a hint about the treasure’s location and they get to move by one state and only to states bordering the state they are in at that time. The navigation would begin from New Jersey. If they are late, they return to New Jersey and start from scratch. If they find the treasure, they get a pizza party or a donuts party or get to watch a movie of their choice.The proposal was discussed with great seriousness at the meeting: The Eagles asked questions and understood the details in depth. The original suggestion was somewhat different from the one I wrote here, but after a lengthy discussion, this was the format agreed upon by the Eagles.

We started playing the game last week, and since then there has not been a single late arrival! The Eagles set a timer by themselves, five minutes before the start of each activity, so they have enough time to get organized and arrive on time. They encourage each other, and if, for example, one of them gets held up, the other Eagles call him and tell him to hurry up. We got out of the picture entirely. The game itself is fun and in addition to all the advantages, the Eagles get to learn the map of the U.S (we chose to hang a map without the state names and every day they have to know the name of the states they have been in and the one they are moving to).

The thing I find so impressive here is the fact that this whole deal is completely run by the Eagles: the suggestion came from them, the full solution came from them, the agreement on the details came from them, the motivation is entirely their own, and the learning to be on time is theirs. This is a wonderful example of Acton’s enormous power, and the wonderful results that can be achieved when we truly “trust the Eagles”.