Welcome
We believe that clear covenants make for better relationships. This is a page with some information to help kick start your research of being a guide at Creator’s House, an Acton Academy. We think a guide is like the ultimate game master.
Belief System
A Belief System says: “Dare to be great! We are doing something that matters.”
Our Mission
We believe each person who enters Creator’s House, an Acton Academy will find a calling that changes the world.
Our Promises
We promise through Socratic guiding and experiential learning to encourage each member of our community to:
- Begin a Hero’s Journey;
- Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery;
- Become a curious, independent, life-long learner;
- Embrace the forging of a strong character;
- Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life; and
- Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Beliefs
- We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way.
- We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
- We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong learners.
- We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Educational Philosophy
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
Our Economic Model
We believe self-directed, peer-to-peer learner-driven communities built by our young Heroes will deliver transformational learning at a cost all parents can afford.
In our learner-driven community, we believe that clear covenants make for better relationships; whether it’s a parent-school relationship, or learner-to-learner contract, or guide-to-studio covenant. Here’s an example of the guide contract.
Guides promise to:
- Treat each learner, parent, and owner as a genius who deserves to find a calling that will change the world.
- Objectively measure progress in delegating tasks, roles, and responsibility to Sheepdogs and learners as soon as possible.
- Ask learners and visitors to use the You Know You’re at an Acton When framework and checklist to provide feedback on how we are turning power over to the learners.
- Judge job performance through objective, anonymous surveys from learners as to how well we are delivering on our promises.
Guides accept as guardrails never to:
- Shame a learner.
- Answer a question.
- Lecture, issue instructions, or teach in a traditional manner.
- Provide grades or approve the quality of work.
- Nag, nudge, or use passive-aggressive behavior to try and influence the choice of a learner.
- Communicate with a parent unless immediately disclosed to an owner via email.
We take these promises very seriously and if you have questions about any of these points, please mention during your application. Just like the learners go through exciting quests and challenges with badges, we also have an exciting guide onboarding quest for guides in training.
Additional Resources
- Letter to Garcia will come up during Step 1 of your application questionnaire.
- You’ll need to take the Human Needs Test and upload the results as part of the Step 1 of the application.
Books
- Courage to Grow: How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down
- UnSchooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What We Know About Schools and Rediscover Education
- Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children’s Learning
- Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment
- The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How
- An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students
- Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius
- Fires in the Mind: What Kids Can Tell Us About Motivation and Mastery
- A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century
- Work Rules: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
- Building a Story Brand
- The Art of Storytelling Course
- The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different
- Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined
- 12 Rules of Life
- Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives
- The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable About Restoring Sanity To The Most Important Organization In Your Life
- Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth
- Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion Leadership
- Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
- The Collapse of Parenting
- Grit
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- NutureShock: New Thinking About Children
- The Power of Moments
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
- Mindfulness
- The Power of TED
- The War of Art
- E-Myth
- Antifragile
- Build a School in the Cloud
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
- The Child Is the Teacher: A Life of Maria Montessori
These are not exhaustive list but a good starting point. You’ll also want to visit our home page to watch videos of other Acton campuses in session.