Here we go, into the thick of it.

Nearing the end of our second 6 weeks we, speaking of Guides, have somehow motivated The Owls to finalize some important systems in their community. There is still much to be done, but this is a giant step forward and the first hard step!

What a doozy this one has been. Some of our learners have already come home with strikes, and some are very close to a 3rd one already. This isn’t easy for us Guides, or Parents, to say the least.

Personally I have much to learn so I won’t say much more, I will simply share one of Laura’s wise posts.

Reminding myself to hold the Owls accountable to their own decisions and processes, be tough minded and warm hearted, and continue to let go of control. There is a much bigger picture in front of us and trusting the Owls, the process, and myself is not always easy but I know it will get us to a beautiful place when we keep on trekking!

Strikes are defined in the Family Field Guide, but I thought I would share here what the Owls have voted on.

Immediate strikes: 1. Dishonesty 2. Harm to self or others

These are non-negotiable, no warnings are given. Harm to self and others includes both physical and mental/emotional harm. We discussed how this looks and came up with many examples. Self harm includes things such as leaving the boundaries, picking up wildlife, hitting oneself while upset, extreme negative self talk. Harm to others includes physical intent to harm or follow through, grabbing things out of a friend’s hands, pushing too hard on the hammock, name-calling and teasing, intent to isolate. The list goes on and I am sure more thoughts will be added to this discussion as our Owls grow and learn each day.

Other strikes can be given when an action that is causing disruption in the community cannot be resolved in other exhaustive ways, and will be discussed in Village Council as needed. Village Council is our weekly meeting to discuss things that have happened that need attention as well as give positive feedback and character callouts.

Please remember our Philosophy of Operations when discussing strikes with your child at home, we do believe you and your child can adequately handle these conversations and a guide is not always needed for feedback.

Philosophy of our Operations

There are three underlying values that drive every policy and system created for our community to function and achieve our mission:

1. Freedom for families. We believe parents, not schools, are in charge of their families and trust you to make your own choices for your families.

2. Sanctity of pods as learning spaces for learners only. This includes basic safety as well as protection against interruptions, distractions and the threat of lowering standards of excellence.

3. Sanctity of parent/child relationships. We will not come between you and your child. This means we will not answer parent questions about pod experiences or observations without the permission of the child and the child’s involvement in the conversation.

It has been a really tough week so far, but it has also been an extremely successful week in growing as a community.

Promise Points are another addition this week and I will share more on those later as we continue to help guide the Owls to develop their system!