Heroes Today, Leaders Tomorrow

Throughout the Government Quest, the ELS heroes inspired each other to become leaders. When they were campaigning for government positions, they focused on their actions and plans to help the citizens. Each candidate demonstrated high standards they set for themselves without the need to put down their opponents. They did not just talk about problems, they thought about solutions to the problems and made laws to solve the problems. Collaboration enabled the heroes to empower one another creating more leaders rather than followers.

During their Socratic discussions, the heroes reflected on different ways to lead with empathy.  They helped one another understand how their actions affect others. They shared about times they may have felt strong emotions like anger or frustration and the strategies that helped them control their emotions.They also learned the importance of “putting yourself in someone’s shoes” to help others when they have strong emotions.

As the heroes planned their Quest Exhibition,  they talked about  their ideas on how to share with their families all that they have learned throughout their United States Government Quest. They wanted to represent each branch of the government so they tried to figure out how many heroes could be in each branch. Some heroes had to convince the others that they really wanted to be a representative even when there were more representatives than the other branches. The representatives insisted that they really wanted to make laws. So the others agreed that it was okay to have more representatives than the other branches. The heroes also wanted to have name tags so that people would know their government position. Several heroes looked through books to figure out what they should wear for the exhibition. The Executive branch also wanted to set up their table just like the Cabinet Room at the Gerald R. Ford Museum and the pictures from books they read, with tea cup settings and placemats. Many of the heroes suggested more and more ideas to their Exhibition presentations to make it the best they could. As a result, their families were so blessed to see them take on the roles of government officials during the exhibition and apply what they have learned to their learning environment through their leadership responsibilities.

The UCC government was very thankful to parents and ES Buddies who introduced bills to the legislative branch that became laws. The UCC citizens enjoyed their Fun Friday wearing their PJs to the Ice Cream Party!

After the Exhibition the heroes reflected on the entire Government Quest. They completed a Quest Survey and gave five stars to the Socratic discussions, project time activities, field trip, hero talk, and the exhibition. The heroes also reflected on how they learned about things that they were curious about before the quest. Most of them glowed with pride as they recounted all they have learned throughout the quest. They truly believed that each of them had a leadership role to play in their studio and have the power to help the citizens of UCC by creating the best learning environment for everyone.

Week 5: November 12-16, 2018