Session 1 – Week 5

One of the distinguishing aspects of true human life is upholding our commitments. Through friendship, marriage, parenthood, family, profession, and in the spiritual realms of our lives, we all strive to uphold commitments. We know it is not always easy but this struggle makes life meaningful.

At THA, an essential question on every Warrior’s Hero’s Journey is: “What commitments must be made and kept?” Through the Signing Ceremony this week, our Warriors gained experience first hand of the importance of making to commitments to one another. They finalized and signed their Student Contract: a list of promises created by themselves of how they will conduct themselves upon entering the doors of their studio.

They also finalized and signed their Rules of Engagement for Socratic Discussions, which includes promises to: arrive on time and be prepared, be clear and concise, build on previous points, listen carefully with my whole body, with respect, etc. The Montessori Warriors (ages 5-6) also finalized and signed their Montessori Studio Contract.

In an environment that puts the responsibility of their education in their own hands, the contract is an essential step in solidifying their commitment to one another and to the studio.

They spent a lot of time in these past five weeks debating and delineating what would be the best promises to have on their final contract. Here they are:

THA Student Contract 2017-2018

I PROMISE TO: 

Accept challenges

Advance on my hero’s journey

Take responsibility for my own education

Be on time

Be neat and organized

Win with grace and lose with honor

Treat studio supplies, materials, and furniture respectfully

Not hurt anyone physically or verbally

Work hard, always give my 110% and never give up

Pay attention when someone is talking to the group

Respect others, their thoughts, differences, and beliefs

Treat people the way I want to be treated

Resolve problems with the friend I am having issues with instead of talking about that friend with others

Speak only with kindness, encouragement, and truth

Treat the studio like a sacred space

Never accept snarkiness, poor sportsmanship, or any kind of bullying

Not gossip about people, or yell at people

Uphold my duties and responsibilities

Be fair, helpful, loyal, and trustworthy

Each day at THA brings various incidents of diligence, courage, perseverance, kindness, friendship, inquiry, and love. Our Warriors continued their “Why Sanskrit” Quest, researching the depths of this unparalleled language and working on drafts that we plan to use on the school’s website. They continued creating amazing artwork, participating in intense warm ups and their kickball unit in PE, pursuing flow and mastery in Core Skills, and diving deeper into their Power of Water Quest.

Launches this week included discussions on The Question of the Year, The Quality of the Session, Seeds of Potential (using different types of apples to show how we may all be different on the outside, but inside we are stars – when apples are cut horizontally), and introducing 360 reviews – an anonymous feedback loop in which Warriors give 2 stars and 1 wish to one another. The Town Hall discussing was very intense as they discussed a potential breach of trust in the studio.

One of the biggest highlights this week was an email from the President of the Irving Healthcare Foundation that we shared with the Warriors during Friday’s Character Call Outs. It is extremely refreshing to see Warriors engaged in meaningful work that is really making a difference in the world:

Hello, Mr. Shah.

Among all the relief supplies our organization collected for Hurricane Harvey relief, I found the boxes created by your students to be the most touching. The notes and items chosen by children for children were (to me) among the most special. As a point of stewardship, I wanted to let you know that the supplies were sent to the distribution center that provided goods to the evacuees who sheltered here in Irving.

I did not want to let another week pass without thanking you most sincerely. I hope you and your brother, your families, and the entire team at your Academy are blessed tenfold for your great kindness and compassion.

 

With great regard,

John

 

John Drake, CFRE

President

Irving Healthcare Foundation

 

Enjoy the pictures from the week!

Session 1 – Week 4

“Watch your thoughts for they become words,
watch your words for they become actions,
watch your actions, for they become habits,
watch your habits for they become your character,
watch your character for it becomes your destiny.”

THA Warriors engage in multiple Socratic Discussions throughout the week in order to develop clarity in their thoughts and their decision-making. Every morning launch includes meditation and a Socratic Discussion related to either an inspiring Hero’s Journey, the Question of the Year, a Current Event, Studio Life, or the Quality of the Session. Socratic questions, (real life questions with no right or wrong answer) are placed in front of our Warriors and they are forced to make a choice. For example, as we discussed stories of courage, resilience, and compassion regarding 9-11, Warriors were asked, “Would you run towards danger and risk your own life to possibly save another? Or would you make sure that at least you were safe and you could get back home to your family?” Our Warriors listen to one another, agree, disagree, and gain deeper insights on life-related situations. As they develop clarity in their thoughts, they slowly but surely shape their destiny. 

This week in pictures…

On Monday, Warriors and Guides signed their Guide-Hero Contract: Guides made several promises including giving their best effort towards being Socratic and never answering questions. Hero’s committed to things like working hard and making courageous choices.

 

This week Montessori and Elementary Warriors conducted several experiments exploring the power of water. They were able to experience firsthand things like adhesion, cohesion, capillary action, surface tension, etc. 

 

THA Warriors spend about 2-2.5 hours a day on Core Skills…

 

 

THA Warriors played a team-building game called “Evolution” and worked on their Rock-Paper-Scissor skills in tournament fashion. Rock-Paper-Scissors is used often to settle minor disputes in the Studio. 

 

Studio Maintenance… 

 

Warriors continued the pursuit of excellence, their Hero’s Journey, and the holistic development of their character through Art, PE, Free Time, and After-School Activities throughout the week.

 

 

Session 1 – Week 3!

“Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.”

― Horace Mann

“They alone live, who live for others.”

– Swami Vivekananda

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

THA Warriors Preparing Kits for displaced children and families in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. They also wrote letters of empathy and encouragement that were included in each box. 

This week at THA…

On Tuesday, amidst a typical, jam-packed schedule (including Meditation, Morning Launch, Socratic Discussions, PE, Core Skills, Quest, Studio Maintenance, Closing Group, etc.), our Warriors took out some time to prepare kits for our fellow friends in Houston affected by Hurricane Harvey. They thought deeply about how it would feel to be in the shoes of one of the 30,000+ people stuck in a shelter, and what would make them feel better. Then over the weekend they put some of those very things in boxes, and individually wrote letters of empathy and support. Their excitement to do something meaningful and help those in need, no matter how small the gesture, was quite amazing to see. There was certainly a buzz in the air as they finalized their care packages.

Additionally on Tuesday, our Warriors were excited to finally start implementing our highly anticipated Integrity Points system. Now, finally, they can hold one another accountable when the integrity of their conduct and the Studio environment is at stake. In short, an integrity point is earned through focused and diligent work, the equivalent of about 3-4 hours of working on something with integrity. A Warrior may lose an integrity point if they break any of their promises on the Studio Contract – “I promise to speak only with kindness, encouragement and truth… I promise to treat the studio like a sacred space…”

The Socratic Discussions this week included engaging discussions on integrity, finding flow, and DACA. One Wednesday, Warriors dug deeper into the depth of the Sanskrit language through the process of inquiry: each group was assigned a question about the significance of the language and challenged to present their researched answers to the group. They also worked on positives and negatives in Art as they created some impressive artwork. One of the biggest highlights was the start of Civilization! Warriors were captivated by the presentation on Maria Montessori’s first great lesson, which provides a context to all learning, language, math, science, history, etc.

We also had our first Warrior’s Tournament and School Store this Friday.  Just about every day during closing group our Warriors deliberated on the Provisional Contract, suggested edits and new promises that would enhance the studio environment. During quest, many of our Warriors started their third challenge and began experimenting with the various properties of water.

Looking forward to another engaging, challenging, and fun week at THA!

Enjoy these snapshots of our Warriors in action!

 

Session 1 – Week 2!

“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”  – William Shakespeare

Among the many highlights from the week, the most outstanding perhaps was when our Warriors experienced the power of nature firsthand as they hiked, skipped stones in the water, meditated, and wrote in their journals near Lake Grapevine on Wednesday. The trip was an extension of their “Power of Water” mini-quest for our Elementary and Montessori Warriors, but it was also just a day to connect with nature. In the hustle and bustle our day to day lives, this experience reminded us of the tremendous joy we can feel just by merely immersing ourselves in nature and appreciating her beauty and serenity firsthand.

Week two was full of other powerful experiences for our warriors, both favorable and unfavorable. We began Core Skills this week: Warriors take about 10-15 minutes each day to set their own Core Skills Goals and then get right to work. Montessori Warriors watch powerful presentations of materials before using the materials themselves, while Elementary and Middle School Warriors work silently on Math, Reading, Writing, Spelling, etc. before collaborating and teaching one another.

We also started a mini-quest for Montessori and Elementary Warriors, “The Power of Water,” while the Middle Schoolers worked on their MS Onboarding Quest.

Other highlights from the week include starting our study of the Sanskrit Language! Warriors were given a very captivating and curiosity sparking introduction to one of the world’s oldest and richest languages. They were challenged to think deeper about the significance of studying Sanskrit. Then they watched stimulating videos of students at St. James Independent School studying Sanskrit, and explaining their understanding and affinity for the language.

Our morning launches have been mind-blowing! Warriors were deeply inspired by the boy with with no arms, Richie Parker, who was able to learn how to feed himself, ride a bike, drive a car, and is now at the top of his field, working as an engineer for Hendrick Motorsports. Following the video we conducted a Socratic discussion by asking, “If you were in a tough situation like Richie, would you rather have people help you get through it so it is easier on you, or would you rather struggle and try to do everything on your own?”

Through a current events launch on Thursday, we took some time out to remember the thousands of lives affected by Hurricane Harvey. Our Warriors decided they wanted to do something to help and will each be preparing a box of things that will be helpful for those who have been displaced.

After watching a spiderman clip on Tuesday where Peter Parker is reminded by Uncle Ben, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” our Warriors were introduced to Integrity Points and Freedom Levels at THA. We talked about how freedom and responsibility come hand in hand, and how through hard work and moral fortitude they can earn more and more freedoms in the studio (e.g. they can go from Apprentice Warriors, to Training, to Battling, to Leading).

This week we also continued our dive into the sacred Studio Covenant making process  by voting and experimenting on different promises for their final contract.  One of the biggest challenges this week was holding themselves and each other accountable to the promises in their Provisional Contract. They are often getting restless and frustrated with one another and are very eager to start the integrity points system to ensure more accountability. It is awesome to see the hunger for accountability and yearning for a system to address conflict come from the students themselves. Here’s an account from one of our Warriors during Reflective Writing on Friday:

Looking forward to another amazing week! Hope you enjoy the photos!

“With great power, comes great responsibility…” – Uncle Ben