What Is Justice? Ascend Pumas Seek Answers from Athens to Today

Every session in Ascend brings three key threads: a hands-on Quest, a writing Genre, and a Civilization topic for Socratic discussion. This time, the Pumas took a deep dive into ancient Greece, wrestling with timeless questions about democracy, power, justice, and truth.

They didn’t just study history. They lived it.

Through debates, myth-making, and a reenactment of Socrates’ trial, they explored the tensions between order and freedom, progress and control, the weight of moral choices, and what it truly means to be a hero. 

Privileges Should be Earned or Given?

Every time a Puma makes progress on their badge plan (learning path) and completes milestones (a key step or achievement within the badge plan), they celebrate their effort by spinning the wheel at the end of the week. This wheel contains privileges and rewards that the Pumas designed at the beginning of the year. It’s a ritual of celebration and recognition.

Culture of Hospitality: Reflections from the Spark Tribe

At some point in our lives, we’ve all been the “newbie” somewhere: at school, in a workshop, at university, at work. And sometimes, being new can feel like being an alien: everything is unfamiliar, nerves run high, and there may be fear or anxiety. In those moments, how do we know if we’re truly welcome in a place and among its people?

We talked with the Spark Tribe about the culture of Hospitality, and here I share their thoughtful reflections based on the story “Golden Land”, from Los Hermanos Paz.

Explorers’ adventure, Episode 2: Autonomy

Autonomy has become one of the most valued goals in recent years. From special furniture designed at a child’s height to child-friendly kitchen tools, everything seems to invite little ones to do things on their own. And yes, the environment plays a key role when we talk about fostering independence. We can’t expect autonomy from a child who’s under a meter tall if what they need is placed two meters high. But beyond creating an accessible space, what else does it mean to support a child’s journey toward autonomy? I’ll share what I think are the most important requirements for developing autonomy.

Becoming Irrelevant

At Acton, the ultimate goal of a Socratic Guide is to become invisible: not because you’re absent, but because the learners no longer need you to lead. This year, my students asked me to step back, to speak less, to trust more. And when I did, they rose. They led launches, solved problems, gave precise feedback, and reminded me that true growth happens not when we push harder, but when we let go.

More Than Just Leftovers: A discussion of Fairness, Effort, and Community

What began as a simple question about who gets the leftover lunch turned into something much deeper. A real-time lesson in fairness, recognition, and what it means to build a true community. Voices rose, ideas clashed, and no clear answer emerged. But something more important did: the courage to listen, question, and co-create.

Read the full story of how a group of young learners in Lima turned snacks into a conversation about justice.

How This Book Helped Me Become a Better Dad

If someone asked me, “How has this book helped you?” I would say it helped me understand and respect my daughter’s emotions. It gave me the tools to do this better and to stop reacting when her emotions didn’t match what I expected in a given situation. I would like to share some of the ideas that clicked for me, why they resonated, the changes I implemented once I internalized them, and finally, the impact these changes have had on my relationship with her. 

Architecture as a Chance to Play

This time, I want to share something special: the Pumas Spark (a group of 3 to 6-year-old girls and boys) have jumped into the world of Architecture. And while that might sound like a big and complicated topic, it’s actually been a beautiful chance to reconnect with what architecture is really about: creating meaningful spaces where form, function, and meaning all work together, with each other and with the people who live in them. Just like Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer from the 1st century BC, once said, architecture isn’t just about technique, it’s about humanity.

Why I Created the Comunidad Mapache: And why it might just change the way you experience parenting

Earlier this year, drawing from my experience walking alongside Tinkuy parents since 2018, I created the Ruta Mapache, a framework to guide and support families through the parenting journey. It brings together powerful questions, practical tools, and insights from many valuable sources to strengthen the five essential roles we have identified parents will step into throughout their child’s development: Guardian, Mentor, Challenger, Ally, and Legacy.

But Why Did You Do That? Making Space to Understand Each Other

This session we are focusing on giving us a pause, to wonder, and to try to understand what’s going on behind someone’s actions. Little by little, I've noticed how curiosity can become a useful tool. Not a tool to fix or solve immediately, but one that opens space to understand the other person. Instead of moving directly to consequences (like giving warnings or charging Hero Coins) some Pumas are beginning to try another step: asking why. This is risky because emotions tend to flare up in these conversations, and it can be uncomfortable. But at the end it feels better, more connected.

Rivers That Meet…to Play

As many of you know, this year at Tinkuy we opened the Studio Explorer—our group of Pumas aged 1 to 3 years old who are beginning to discover the world. Their presence has brought new dynamics to our community, especially for the Spark Tribe.

Learning Updates: Growth Mindset in Practice

On our visit to Guatemala, I learned about a tool they used, called the “Learning Update” (LU). It is an account by each Puma every Friday, to their guide, parent and partners, of how their week went.  We launched the tool in Tinkuy in the last week of our first session. In Ascend, this means sharing their goals and how many of them they had met, two words to describe their week, one lesson learned and one thing that helped them.  What I thought would be a simple reporting tool quickly proved to be a concise, authentic narrative of challenges, breakthroughs, and self-discovery.

Justice and Cinderella

One of the hallmark moments at Acton Academy is the Socratic Discussion—dialogues that foster deep reflection on a particular topic. After setting some guidelines (ROEs), the discussion begins.

This time, we explored with the Spark Pumas the themes of justice and Cinderella. Here’s a glimpse into our reflection: