By Rosa Torres
On Tuesday, we had a virtual meeting with Jake Thompson, the Head of the Acton Academy Network. It was a gathering of Spark Guides and Owners from around the world, and the focus of our conversation was all about Spark Studio: what’s working, what’s challenging, and a space to share strategies. Through this blog, I want to highlight three key moments that really captured the spirit of what we do in Spark.
On the Spark essence:
Spark is one of Acton’s foundational Studios. Even though it wasn’t originally mapped out in the early days of Acton, over time it’s grown into a kind of “seed studio”; one that allows for growth, movement, and deep learning experiences.
This meeting felt really necessary. We exchanged notes on age groups in other Spark Studios, their routines, and we all seemed to agree that the heart of Spark is autonomy, and that our role as Guides is to be socratic, sparking learning through curiosity. Tribe, co-regulation, connection, planning, and holding space for routines to take shape are also key.
It was comforting to realize that our Spark Studio at Tinkuy is very much aligned with this vision. I’d love to share this quote from the Acton Playbook (our guidebook for Spark Guides):
“Like Maria Montessori, we believe even the youngest child has important work to do, and while we might observe them reading a book, dressing up for a play, drawing a favorite animal, or engaged in loose parts play, a much deeper, core sense of self is being developed every time a child accomplishes something they set out to do. This engagement in purposeful activity, guided by the inner desire of a Spark hero, is at the core of the hero’s journey and an Acton Spark Studio.”
Why this conversation about Spark Studio matters:
This opportunity for dialogue helped us align our goals and perspectives around age groups, and re-focus on key areas like reading, writing, math, play, autonomy, and strategies to help learners stretch their limits.
We also brought up some big questions that really made us reflect, like:
How do we guide in a bilingual environment?
How can we support the transition from Spark to Discovery?
What’s the best way to support learners who are just starting out?
What challenges around reading and writing come up in different contexts?
My promises to the Pumas:
This exchange gave me a fresh view of our own Studio, inspired by hearing from other Actons around the world. It made me reflect on the promises I make as a Guide to our Pumas, and I want to share them with you here:
As your Guide, I promise to:
Honor the promises of Tinkuy Marka to you and your family.
Offer challenges, boundaries, rewards, and guidelines to inspire and equip you.
Introduce you to systems, frameworks, examples, recipes, and questions that are helpful.
Let you learn from failure and natural consequences, when needed.
Be your mirror and gently push you to keep the promises you’ve made to your peers, your family, and your Guides.
Recognize your strengths, listen to you, and celebrate your effort, especially when the road is tough.
Cheer you on as you take on more responsibility, grow more independent, and lead your Studio.
Make sure you are safe on campus.
As we keep growing as a Studio and a community, I’m holding onto the energy and vision of how we can keep expanding our horizons alongside our learners.
It’s powerful to know we’re part of something much bigger.
