One of the unique features of Acton’s learning environment is self-governance. Guides don’t fix all the problems that arise in the studio. Guides often step back and wait for learners to raise the issue. Leaders emerge to do something about it. Then, guides will offer frameworks, tools, and choices. In this way, guides push governance of the studio back to the learners to solve problems themselves. 

This week was a small, shining example of studio self-governance from, of all things, popcorn!

The Popcorn Problem

Popcorn has become a favorite snack among the learners at Acton. At first, popcorn was a delightful snack. But then, popcorn proliferated. And proper popcorn protocol, er, popped.

It was a popcorn mess. One of the youngest learners in the studio noticed. He came to the guides and said, “The popcorn is getting out of hand. We need to do something about it!” The guides challenged this learner to carefully observe and catalogue the issues and share them at the next launch. 

When given the floor, this learner bravely stood up in front of his older peers. He told them there were bags of unfinished popcorn in the studio. Popcorn kernels had been dropped and ground into the carpet. He noted popcorn butter drips on the tables and chairs. (And he was responsible for washing tables this week!) Worst of all, he continued, learners were not washing their hands after eating popcorn, and butter grease was getting all over the door handles. He finished his speech with a call to action: “This is disgusting! We need to do something about it!”

A couple other learners grumbled in agreement. Even the offending parties sheepishly agreed. Things were not going well in the popcorn department.

The guides then challenged the learners to solve the popcorn problem. The guides had introduced three studio maintenance tools the previous week. Which of the three would be best?

• Checklists—Posting a popcorn checklist for learners to follow?
• Certification—Certifying learners on popcorn protocol (and de-certifying them if they do not live up to their promises)? Or,
• Champions—Having learners remind each other to clean up their popcorn mess?

The learners debated and decided that it would be most fair to certify learners who want to eat popcorn. One learner commented that learners need to take responsibility for their own popcorn mess. If not, they should lose popcorn privileges for a week. 

The learners quickly brainstormed what specifics the certification should include. Crucially, the young learner who brought this issue up said that popcorn should only be eaten in a designated popcorn area—in the kitchen. And to help learners remember the popcorn area, this learner wrote a sign in bright orange marker. (See photo above.) 

The next day, the guides introduced the resulting certification (see here). But several learners were not happy. Popcorn should not be confined to the kitchen, they said, and they started a popcorn petition. They got three signatures. But the other learners were not convinced, so the petitioning group asked for a debate about changing the rules.

Town Meetings

On Friday, the guides introduced another Acton process: the Town Meeting. The learners hosted their first Town Meeting in the upstairs meeting room. Town Meetings are held once a month. Learners can fill out a Town Meeting form to raise an issue in the studio, propose a solution, or celebrate or express gratitude for something in the community. 

The first Town Meeting was less successful than the learners had hoped. The discussion quickly got heated and learners were talking over each other. In the commotion, the learners ran out of time, and the meeting was adjourned. One learner said, we didn’t even get a chance to vote! The learners left the meeting with no resolution—not an uncommon occurrence in Town Meetings.

The guides asked the learners to reflect on the experience and to think about next month’s Town Meeting: Which of the rules of engagement will be most important to have a productive discussion and get something done? Listening to each other, being concise, not distracting others, or something else? How respectful was today’s conversation on a 1 to 5 scale? How could you improve next time?

Self-Governance and Lessons Learned

This is what self-governance and being increasingly in charge of your own learning at Acton is like. Yes, Acton will challenge learners with core skills, quests, writer’s workshop, civilization, and more. But some of the most important lessons learned at Acton are about living with each other, as human beings; about keeping our promises; about holding yourself and others accountable; and about what we do when we fall short. 

Already in week three at Acton, these self-governance questions are deep and meaningful to the learners. These issues matter to them. A lot. And for these deep questions, the learners are finding there are not always easy answers.