Contact Name::Andrew Shahan
Contact Position in Company::Director
Contact Phone::(404) 709-5798
Contact Email::andrew@actonbuckhead.org
Position Available::Wonder Guide
School Name::Acton Academy Buckhead
This is a::Current Opening
Job Description::
Are you ready to change the World?
Do you believe that each child is a genius?
Do you believe that each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way?
Do you believe that if given the opportunity, children can be the primary drivers of their learning?
Do you have the ability to create and nurture a classroom culture where learning is self-directed, enthusiastic, and joyous?
If you answered “yes” to all these questions, we’d love to explore how you could join our team and help change the world of education!
We are looking for a "Wonder Guide" for our Wonder Studio, ages 4-6, at Acton Academy Buckhead. The Wonder Studio is PLAY based and part of a larger "Learner Driven" Community at Acton Academy Buckhead. We are not strict Montessori (as play is the primary teaching tool) but we do have a lot of alignment with Montessori Principles.
PLEASE email Andrew@actonbuckhead.org with a short interest in your email and attach your resume if you are interested and meet the descriptions below.
You are:
A Self-Driven Learner
Being a life-long learner first and foremost establishes the best foundation for a Guide. It eliminates the ego that comes with being the authority figure. It models, for the Heroes, how anyone can use the resources at their disposal to learn what they need. Most importantly, it is the trait that will let a guide grow the most independent from anyone else.
Focused on Growth
Failure and missteps are important parts of the learning process. Acceptance of the fact that everyone is growing at all times helps with seeing the studio with fresh eyes. A growth mindset also is a helpful reminder to heroes of how they began their journey and what ways they have grown which might not be immediately apparent to them.
Warm-hearted/Tough-Minded
The Hero’s Journey is fraught with difficulty. “It’s easier said than done” is a phrase said a lot when heroes are met with a challenge in the studio. The balance of having a warm-heart and tough-mind creates space for heroes to believe they can be kind to themselves while also pushing themselves to grow despite growing pains or hardship.
A Game Maker
Having experience in playing and making games will greatly increase a guides ability to inspire curiosity and to increase intentionality in the studio. Playing is a powerful form of learning. Any form of play and the study of how play feels and works will help a guide create a game that the heroes want to play every day.
Technically Literate
As the Acton model is a school for the 21st century, having technical literacy and being caught up on new tech trends is incredibly helpful for maintaining an Acton. Technology is able to replace any frontal teacher and can empower any learner with the tools they need to further their own education. Having some form of technical literacy will facilitate many day-to-day activities, such as navigating the Acton Toolshed, the Google Suite, accessing the plethora of resources on the internet, and creating quests.
Creative
As heroes are incredibly creative, it is helpful to be able to think outside of the box. Innovative guides will be able to model examples of ways to improve their studio systems in new exciting ways and will encourage the heroes to embrace their own creativity when it comes to problem solving. A bit of creativity is also incredibly helpful in creating engaging quests as each Acton has different needs and different curiosities. To create a multi-week quest that can gather interest from heroes requires a playful, experimental mind.
A great Communicator
Knowing how to best communicate certain concepts for quests, challenges, and systems is necessary to set up heroes for success. Being able to model good communication skills is needed for conflict resolution training so heroes can solve their own conflicts.
Job Responsibilities
Believe each young person is a hero in the making. Love them, listen to them, and praise the effort of each young Hero.
Examples: Remember details about their lives; Show unconditional positive regard; Ask great questions and listen with your whole self; Praise effort, especially when the path is difficult; Champion their gifts; Never shame
Create a game. A compelling storyline, starting with the Hero’s Journey. An important end goal that matters, stepping stones along the way, initial boundaries, rewards and consequences. Invite them to play. Inspire learning with challenges, badges, rewards, deadlines, opportunities, etc. This is what traditional schools would call curriculum and grades.
Examples: Quests, daily schedules, points systems, rewards, freedom levels, badges, graduation requirements, exhibitions
Equip with processes. Equip learning with tools, methods, words to use, frameworks, role models, and recipes to help on their journey.
Examples: SMART Goals, Khan Academy, Running Partners, Frameworks like Panic/Challenge/Comfort Zone, Warm-hearted/Tough-minded criticism
Create Gamemakers. Equip the learners to be Guides themselves, to master the tools they’ll need for their Hero’s Journeys in the real world. Hand off responsibility as soon as possible for setting goals, establishing processes and feedback loops. Look for processes and responsibility that can be handed off.
Examples: the 5 Learning Badges, guiding their own Hero’s Journey and others’, passing all Guiding processes off to the Heroes.
Give space for natural consequences. Allow them to learn from both success and mistakes. Expect the studio to oscillate between tyranny and anarchy and at times collapse. Step back and offer choices so leaders learn how to fix problems.
Examples: Mastery-based succession instead of age-based; Let them enforce their Studio Contract.
Insist the studio lives up to its promises. Hold up a mirror so the community and individuals can either live up to their promises or change their promises.
Examples: “You promised X. I’m observing Y. What would you like to do about it?” “Would you like to lower your standards or change the behavior?”
Equip parents and families to take ownership of the learning. Facilitate transparency and documentation for parents to know where to get information about their child’s progress and learning. Refer parent inquiries to the communication channels and resources you’ve already created. This way, families take ownership and take their child’s journey to new heights. If a family is okay with their child not accomplishing any badges in a year, but the Hero isn’t disrupting the community, the Hero is welcome to stay.
Examples: Heroes approving Personal Learning Plans with their parents, using clear metrics to measure Heroes’ progress (points, badges, and 360 reviews), portfolios.
Ensure a safe and healthy environment. Parents drop off their kids for 8 hours a day and need someone they can trust.
Examples: Basic safety rules, no bullying, emergency preparation
Qualifications
Strong relationship building with children
A deep curiosity about life and love of lifelong learning
Innovative and entrepreneurial spirit
Takes initiative
Finds solutions
Ability to build and maintain a strong culture of self-directed learning.
Customer service and user-centered orientation with the ability to give and receive feedback, meet needs, and get a positive response.
Proven excellence in written and oral communication skills.
Evident passion for being on a Hero’s Journey.
Agile facilitating project-based / experiential / real-world learning.
Proficient quantitative reasoning skills to look at learner growth data to inform next steps.
Training in Montessori, Reggio, Waldorf, or Unschooling models is helpful but not required.
Wants to open and lead a Learner Driven school of your own!
