Courage to Grow

by Laura Sandefer

  “He’s home early,” I said to Charlie.

  “Good,” he replied.

  He hopped out of the car and beat me inside as I picked up the mail and patted the dogs. By the time I entered the kitchen, our world had taken a turn I had not allowed myself to imagine.

  “He’s leaving that school,” Jeff said.

  “What?” I asked, dumbfounded.

  “It’s true, Laura, he just told me,” Jeff said. “Charlie’s coming back to the Acton way.”

  Charlie had simply walked in the door and told Jeff that he wanted to go to back to real apprenticeships, online learning, reading more deep books and writing something worth publishing. He told him he wanted to get his pilot’s license when he turned sixteen and go to college after high school. He said he thought he could do more than just sit in class to get there.

  With that, I dropped the mail and my bag on the floor. I walked straight to Jeff. We held each other, shaking our heads in wonder. Charlie had done what he set out to do. He needed to know he could learn from teachers, take tests, and meet college-preparatory standards. He had tested himself and now he was coming home. The school his parents founded finally made sense in real terms to this young man.

  Taite, too, had needed to break away to discover more about herself. She was heading to college and joining us for weekly family dinners, reconnecting with her brothers and opening up to us about her dreams and fears.

  Through it all, Sam had continued being our steady force in the studios and at home. Not everyone must leave to discover who they are.

  And Charlie chose to wait and tell his father first. He could have told me on the way home that afternoon or waited until I walked in the door, but he wanted Jeff to hear it from him first, and alone. The meaning of that was not lost on me. What a gift to a father who had mourned what felt like the loss of his son for months. This was a gift well given upon the return of a hero from his journey.

  Now Charlie could take the reins of his education back, drive his learning, and follow his dreams. Now he was free.

  Better yet, now he could fly.

  Acknowledgments

  I am merely the vessel that lets the Acton story pour forth into the world. This book would not have happened without the following people who have taught me so much.

  Harry Jaffe pulled the story out of me with his relentless questions and kind patience. I thank him for encouraging my writing and fighting for my story. I am indebted to Clint Greenleaf, a generous genius who works harder than most humans and made this book a physical reality.

  Ken DeCell, Jane Rosenman, Sheila Parr, Thom Lemmons, Elizabeth Brown, Sheila Youngblood, and Reese Youngblood taught me that life is much better with editors and designers. If you get to work with more than one, you are beyond lucky. These hard-working, generous, and talented people lifted my writing and book design to a better place.

  Marcy Carpenter, Jeff Carpenter, Becca Cody, Divit Tripathi, Lauren Kubacki, Yolanda King, and Kelvin King are longtime Acton Academy parents who met with me to share their personal stories. They are examples of people who are unafraid to learn, love, and grow right alongside their children. I thank them for being my fellow travelers on this journey. I’ll not forget what Kelvin said when he reflected on his first time at an Acton Academy open house: “I looked around the room for a face that looked like my own. I didn’t see one. But then I looked more and saw world maps, globes, and statements of Acton’s principles. We came to this school not because we look alike or live the same way but because we believe in the same fundamental principles of freedom, justice, and individual worth. We are bound by what we believe, not by our heritage.” I believe this is the reason our idea is spreading beyond our own community and country.

  My dear sisters and beloved friends—Kirstin Lee, Michelle Webb, Nicole Barr, Laurie Haddow, and Caroline Wilson—held up the light that brought me home when I got stuck in the dark woods. I thank them for not letting me stay there and hide.

  Acton Academy reflects more of my parents, Mike and Joanna Anderson, than they will ever know. Their trust and belief in me was the starting point for this work. Even though my mother didn’t live long enough to see it come to fruition, her spirit of joyful adventure runs throughout this story. I gave my father the painful task of reading the first draft of my manuscript. Poor man. I thank him for the gentle and honest feedback that directed me to start over.

  I thank Lolly Anderson for helping me pin down a decision on the design of the book’s cover and for her reliable ability to help me unwind and laugh. I thank her for encouraging me at every turn.

  Heather and Allan Staker are rock stars in my world. Words can’t adequately express my gratitude for their willingness to uproot their large family and join this journey without knowing where it would lead. I thank them for sharing their personal story with generosity and for taking the Children’s Business Fair kit into the world.

  Matt and Maria Clayton persisted in encouraging me to write this story down. I thank them for their never-ending belief in the Acton ideals and their insistence that others need to hear the story of our origin. The world is better because these two are in it. I am beholden to their unwavering optimism.

  I thank Bodhi, Ellie, Chris, Cash, Saskia, and Libby for allowing me to shine a little more light on their own journeys. These young people will change the world.

  If there was wind beneath my wings to get this job done, it came from the brilliant minds and vast spirits of heroes whose thinking I savor reading and listening to: Steven Tomlinson, Clark Aldrich, Sugata Mitra, Seth Godin, Tom Vander Ark, Bernard Bull, Ted Dintersmith, Dan Peters, Kimberly Watson-Hemphill, Clayton M. Christensen, Jane McGonigal, Salman Khan, Carol Dweck, and Maria Montessori, to name a few.

  Juan and Ana Bonifasi and Dani and Russ Foltz-Smith were the brave people who allowed me to walk with them and share their stories of being pioneers using our start-up kit in its very early days—which really wasn’t a kit at all but a stack of unorganized papers. I will always be grateful to and surprised by them.

  I thank the new Acton Academy owners around the world, now too many to mention in this small space. Every single day they look into the eyes of children and say, “You are very special. You have gifts within you that the world needs.” And then they set them free to find those gifts. They took our idea and made it so much better. The world needs this group’s courage and perseverance.

  Our current Austin team, so deeply committed to our mission, reveals to me each day that when adults step back, children rise up as heroes. They gave me time and space away from campus to get this book finished and cheered me on at every turn. I thank Samantha Jansky, Janita Lavani, Reed Youngblood, Rob Bakhshai, Justin Moss, Chase Pattillo, and Ben Bazan.

  Rachel Davison Humphries, Kaylie Dienelt Reed, and Anna Blabey Smith were our team members in the very early days of Acton Academy. They said yes to the journey without any idea what they were getting into and were integral to our development. How could I have been so lucky to work among such wonderful people?

  And nothing good happens in the world without the artists. Since our first year, two in particular have helped us pave a new way to grow the creative minds and spirits of children. Nat Miller sparks curiosity and joy through the theatrical arts. Zoey Upshaw’s love and creative vision calls up the inner artist in each Eagle. I am grateful they were brave enough to experiment alongside us.

  Underlying this book is a cloud of courageous souls—the parents and children who have joined Acton Academy over the years. Whether they are still with us or not, we have learned so much from each one. I thank them for believing in an idea that rides on the themes of love, trust, risk, reward, freedom, and responsibility.

  Our children—Charlie, Sam, and Taite—are the reason Acton Academy exists. I thank them for being my sounding boards, my laughter, and my teachers. I thank them for listening to the discerning voices in their heart
s and using them to challenge and change me. I thank them for being humble enough to be vulnerable and give me permission to share their personal stories. I couldn’t be more grateful for who they are and that I get to live life with them. I love each of them beyond measure.

  The way Jeff Sandefer loves me gives me courage to grow. I thank him for pushing me and pulling me through the process of getting our story on paper. It’s a miracle we found each other on this Earth and I thank God each day for such a crazy gift.

  Since the dawn of time and until the end of days, there will be some humans who simply can’t stand the haunting of a calling and so end up saying, “Yes.” As a citizen of the world, I am grateful.

  Appendix A

  Acton Academy’s Mission, Promises, and Beliefs

  Our Mission:

  We believe each person who enters Acton Academy will find a calling that changes the world.

  Our Promises:

  We promise through Socratic guiding and experiential learning to encourage each member of our community to:

  Begin a Hero’s Journey

  Discover one’s own precious gifts and a commitment to mastery

  Become a curious, independent, lifelong learner

  Embrace the forging of a strong character

  Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life

  Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom

  Our Beliefs:

  We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way.

  We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.

  We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong learners.

  We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.

  Our Educational Philosophy:

  We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.

  Our Economic Model:

  We believe self-directed, peer-to-peer learner-driven communities built by our young heroes will deliver transformational learning at a cost almost all parents can afford. At our campus in Austin, Texas, we set our tuition just under market value for private schools. For an eleven-month school year, our families pay just under $10,000. We are a 501(c)(3) organization; however, each Acton Academy is free to set up their business model and tax status independently.

  Our Studio-Size Model:

  We believe Maria Montessori’s model for an ideal classroom size with mixed ages works. She said, “We consider that in its best condition, the class should have between 28 and 35 children, but there may be even more in number.” With that in mind, we designed each Acton Academy studio (elementary school, middle school, and high school) to host thirty-six students with a master guide and apprentice guide, understanding that the most important teaching will happen between peers in small, mixed-age groups.

  Appendix B

  Acton Academy Student Contract 2009–2010

  I am on a Hero’s Journey.

  Even through hard times, I will not give up, because I have courage.

  I will be honest with myself and others about the way I lead this journey.

  I will try my hardest to reach all of my goals and I will make new goals as well.

  I will try new things I have never done before, even things I might not be good at, to discover new talents.

  I will encourage other people on their journeys but make sure they want and need my help.

  I will take care of the things around me that help me learn and live.

  I will take care of my body, my brain, and my heart by giving them the things they need to be healthy and grow, such as exercise, information, challenges, and love.

  I will never give up on myself.

  Appendix C

  The Hero’s Journey

  Appendix D

  Acton Academy Reading List for Parents

  Unschooling Rules, Clark Aldrich

  NurtureShock, Po Bronson

  An Ethic of Excellence, Ron Berger

  The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, Patrick Lencioni

  The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown

  The One World Schoolhouse, Salman Khan

  Mindset, Carol S. Dweck

  Your Three-Year-Old, Louise Bates Ames, PhD (Each book for each age)

  A Thomas Jefferson Education, Oliver DeMille

  The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle

  Choice Words, Peter H. Johnston

  The Price of Privilege, Madeline Levine, PhD

  Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Angeline Stoll Lillard

  10 Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children, Shmuley Boteach

  The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way, Amanda Ripley

  Getting Smart, Tom Vander Ark

  Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, George Leonard

  2,002 Ways to Show Your Kids You Love Them, Cyndi Haynes

  Influencer, Kerry Patterson, et al.

  Crucial Conversations, Kerry Patterson, et al.

  The Dream Manager, Matthew Kelly

  Most Likely to Succeed, Tony Wagner, Ted Dintersmith

  The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker

  The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt

  Reality Is Broken, Jane McGonigal

  Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, Michael Horn, Heather Staker, and Clayton M. Christensen

  Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, Scott Barry Kaufman

  Stop Stealing Dreams, Seth Godin

  Appendix E

  Thoughts on Guiding Math Socratically

  by Jeff Sandefer

  Introduction

  The goal of Socratic guiding is to help someone else learn to think more clearly. In other words, questions and struggles are more important than answers.

  Keys to the Socratic Method

  Following are some of the keys to the Socratic method in math:

  No shortcuts. Someone has to do the basic work first. Ask, “Have you watched the videos on Khan Academy?” and, “What example problems have you tried?” before you sit down to guide. If the person hasn’t done the work, you cannot help them.

  Remember that the goal of a Socratic question is not to help someone get the right answer. It’s to help walk alongside someone, while they learn to think more clearly and critically.

  Good Socratic questions focus on the process of solving a problem or making choices, never on answers.

  Example of Socratic Questions

  Is the problem being solved simple or complex?

  Can you restate the problem in your own words? What information do you know? What information are you trying to find out? Why does it matter?

  Is it harder to set up the problem correctly or solve it once it is set up?

  Are there few or many steps required to solve the problem?

  What’s the hardest step in setting up the problem?

  Do you need to keep track of intermediate answers in an organized way? How will you do this?

  Is your biggest challenge not understanding the process, or is it carefully keeping track of the arithmetic so you don’t make any careless mistakes?

  Do you find this skill particularly hard or easy? Why?

  What other math skill does this resemble? Why?

  How might you use this in the real world?

  What are the next steps you will take to master this problem?

  Is there a distraction I can help you remove so you can solve this?

  Are you in the right frame of mind to tackle this problem? If not, what needs to change? Should you set a deadline and a time to study for yourself?

  So
cratic Discussion Rules of Engagement

  Be on time and prepared.

  Listen intently.

  Take a stand.

  Build on previous comments.

  Be concise.

  Provide evidence or examples.

  Appendix F

  Conversation with Steven Tomlinson, PhD, Master Socratic Teacher

  Q: Why teach with only questions, never answers?

  ST: A good question inspires learning.

  Q: But what is inspiration?

  ST: It’s the fusion of direction and motivation—and the energy released.

  Q: Where does direction come from?

  ST: Signs carefully placed by someone who has already explored the path.

  Q: And motivation?

  ST: From the joy of discovery and the desire to know and from the will to be both playful and powerful, like the teacher who asks questions before knowing the answers.

  Q: What is a good question?

  ST: Take some missing piece of the puzzle and hold it up to the light. “What about this?” Follow them off the path, into the thicket. “Where are we headed? How far can we go?”Call for courage. “Which one will you choose?”

  Q: How do I become a good teacher?

  ST: What sort of answer are you looking for? Before technique comes intention. Give up on impressing students. Give up on helping them.Commit to be with them and enjoy them and risk learning alongside them.

  Appendix G

  Overview of the Acton Academy Middle School and Launchpad Badge System

  Introduction

  The goal of Acton Academy Middle School and Launchpad (High School) is to retain the option for qualified Eagles to attend a selective college while preparing them for their next adventure in life. As part of this, Eagles must earn badges that can be reassembled into a traditional transcript required for college admission. They must also answer four important questions: