Defenders of Justice

This week, the heroes experienced what it would be like to work in the Judicial Branch of the United States Government as Supreme Court Justices, judges, lawyers, and members of the jury. Learning from the Bible story, The Wise Judgment of Solomon, the heroes resolved to always pray for wisdom first before making decisions. Heroes who wanted to become judges made promises to their voters that they would be good and fair judges by praying first.

They were able to resolve many issues regarding laws passed from legislation last week that were broken throughout this week through the judicial system. They believed that justice would be served as they brought their concerns to the court. Many times, they also realized that the defendants immediately admitted their guilt so  they did not really need to bring their case in a court of law since they were able to use conflict resolution to solve their problems.

As heroes start each day with each one taking a turn to pray, most of the time praying for others and not themselves, they impart so much wisdom during their socratic discussions. In one discussion, they imagined they were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and had the choice to to stay in the safety of the boat with all the provisions they needed or to get out of the boat to swim to shore and find help. Many heroes chose to stay in the boat to stay safe from the sharks. But when they were told that Jesus was calling out to them to get out of the boat to walk on water with him, they all said without any hesitation that they would walk on water with Jesus, despite the waves and the creatures that may lurk in the deep. One hero recognized that Jesus calling them to get out of the boat is their “Call to Action” in their Hero’s Journey, so they instantly “Accept the Challenge” to walk on water, “Face their Fears,” because they believed that they would “Collect their Treasure” as they have the amazing experience of walking on water with Jesus! They ended their discussion with a promise to stay in their challenge zones as they do their work, because they didn’t  want to stay in their comfort zones, which is just like staying inside the boat.

The Hero-led Portfolio Reviews empowered each Early Learner to demonstrate how they own their learning at Journey Academy. The  heroes proved that they were more than capable of leading Parent-Hero Conferences. They shared their goals, their progress towards their goals, and their plans to achieve their goals with their parents. Each hero confidently led the meetings and were entrusted to reflect on their own learning, their accomplishments and challenges, and strategies to face overcome their struggles, together with their families. Parents expressed their admiration and awe as they witnessed their heroes so determined to reach their goals.

Week 4: November 5-9, 2018