By Rosa Torres
How can a lie, courage, and heroic actions all be intertwined?
The Discovery Pumas have taken on the mission of mentoring the Spark Pumas through games and challenges that help them earn their badges. This process has been fascinating: an opportunity to connect, share social skills, and grow in leadership.
Let me share with you a situation that took place between two Spark Pumas and one Discovery mentor as part of the Sparkovery Mentoring Program. For this blog, I’ll identify them simply as Spark 1, Spark 2, and The Mentor.
Here’s what happened:
Spark 1 was using the computer (specifically Khan Academy Kids) to work on his English goals. Next to him sat Spark 2, working with their Mentor on writing. But Spark 1, “playing around,” had logged into Spark 2’s Khan account and was showing off progress using Spark 2’s profile.
Spark 2 laughed and didn’t mind Spark 1 using his account. The Mentor noticed what was happening, walked up to me, and said: “Rosi, these Pumas are switching accounts without you noticing. What should we do?”
I told him this was the first time —to my knowledge— such a thing had happened in Spark Studio and asked, “What do you think could be done?”
The Mentor replied, “I’ll give them a first warning. This is a serious mistake.”
He then walked over to Spark 1 and Spark 2 and told them clearly that this was a serious matter and gave them a first warning.
But Spark 1 and 2 just looked at him and continued as before: Spark 1 “playing” with Spark 2’s account and Spark 2 laughing along. The Mentor came back to me, confused: “Rosi, it seems like they’re ignoring me. It looks like they don’t care.” Bear in mind, this mentor is 7 years old.
I told him I understood how he felt, and that when he was ready, he could call a meeting with them to talk it through. He agreed and asked me to join him in the meeting. Spark 1 and Spark 2 accepted his invitation… and that’s where the magic began.
Guide: “Alright, we’re here to talk about something The Mentor observed. Let’s start.”
Mentor: “Yes, thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I saw you, Spark 1, using Spark 2’s account on the computer. And you, Spark 2, were laughing at it. When I gave you a warning, you kept going like nothing had happened. You chose not to listen.”
Spark 1: “Yes, I just wanted to see Spark 2’s progress on Khan, and I accidentally opened a game, but I didn’t work on his goals.”
Spark 2: “But there’s another Puma who does the same thing…”
Mentor: “Right now we’re talking about you two. Maybe in the future, you can tell that other Puma not to do it anymore.”
Spark 1: “Okay, I think this is a serious violation, and we should lose two gems” [the gems system is something Sparks created to pay “fines” when they break a promise to the tribe… in this case, being honest].
Spark 2: “I think we should even lose three gems…”
Mentor: “Spark 2, it seems you already understand this is serious. But two gems is fair, not three. We all make mistakes. And since you’re older Pumas using the computer, you can set the example for how to use it responsibly.”
Guide: “So, what agreements will you make, Pumas?”
Spark 2: “Lose gems, Rosi.”
Spark 1: “We’ll be more careful with the computer.”
Mentor: “Thank you for being part of this meeting.”
After the meeting, I asked The Mentor (who is actually a close friend of Spark 2): “How do you feel now?”. He told me: “IT WAS SOOO HARD, ROSI!! Because he’s my friend, and at first, it seemed like they didn’t care. But then they did care, and now I feel better. I think I’ll give Spark 2 a character call-out because he admitted his mistake with responsibility. I call that courage.”
As a Guide, I also told The Mentor that it was brave of him to call this meeting and confront his friend. I gave him a character call-out for his courage.
What began as a tense moment —leaving one Puma confused— was transformed into a sequence of courageous and even heroic actions. It became an experience that nourished the tribe, not just as Sparks or Discoveries, but as heroes genuinely striving for excellence with courage and responsibility.
