The Hero's Journey

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." -- Joseph Campbell

The Narrative
What is the purpose of school?

“The road to college begins here.”

That is often what we have traditionally thought of as the purpose of school. Complete your homework, get good grades, study hard, and ace the ACT/SAT. That is the path to college and K-12 school will get you there.

What if instead the purpose was to inspire and equip our young heroes with the tools and skills they need to learn to learn, learn to do and learn to be? So rather than conforming to society’s expectations, we tell our Heroes that it’s important to fail early, cheaply and often; and that perseverance and grit are more important than
raw talent.

What if we recognized that all our Heroes go through transformations - all at their own pace. And that no two journeys are the same.

And what if we looked at school not as a series of tests and quizzes but rather a practice field where real-life cycles of continual challenges, births of new ideas, successes, and transformations happen?

Each Hero’s Journey is filled with struggles and challenges. There are low points and crises. You fall. You get back up. You help others. You take responsibility for your mistakes. You develop a Hero’s mindset rather than a victim’s mindset.

At each cycle of a Hero’s Journey, there is a treasure waiting… a conquest completed. And as we watch our Heroes find treasure after treasure, we realize the object of the quest is not the treasure but rather the transformation.

How it’s used at Acton
It is woven into the core of who we are.

Our mantra is “Heroes do Hard Things.”

The Hero’s Journey narrative offers opportunities for reflection and guidance as we watch our Heroes go through struggles and joy. It isn’t the mastery of academic skills that we look for - but rather the growth and how their identities change and develop.

My view
The front row view is incredible. I get to witness so many of the transformations year over year.

As I write this, I'm thinking of some of our Eagles and the moments that were so difficult for them. Some of those moments were challenges and some were crises.

The frustration, sadness, anger, and tears were real.

And now, in hindsight, I know some of those were the start of a transformation. 💪💚

The journey - with all its trials, tribulations, challenges, and, even, crises - is key for transformations to happen.

What makes a Hero?
A video we watch at Acton each year.