Dear Acton Family,
The beginning of a new year is sure to bring many things – the anticipation of new adventure, the joyful exuberance of new quests, and new goals for the coming year. As we embark on 2026 together, I’d like to take a brief moment to reflect on our “why” here at Acton.
In the spirit of a Socratic guide, rather than giving you an answer, I’d like to pose a question that I heard from a fellow Acton owner and founder. I’ve not been able to shake it since hearing it:
“How valuable is it for your child to get an education?” he asked.
I suspect we all have various answers to this question and might even assign different monetary figures to it.
But then he shifted the question:
“What if I asked you how valuable it would be for your child to discover a calling?”
That’s an entirely different question, isn’t it?
If you are anything like me, my educational journey was one where I became adept at fulfilling requirements, checking boxes, and jumping through hoops. And at the end of the line, I found that I had cultivated a transcript filled with grades, but if I’m honest, little else. No sense of self. No identity. No sense of purpose, calling, or direction.
Regardless of what the grades on that transcript might have said, I can’t help but conclude that the whole charade was a failure. It was the experiences after that shaped where I am and who I am today.
I believe with every bone in my body that there is greatness embedded in each of your young heroes. Something more beautiful, more profound, more valuable and important than we could ever imagine. And so a child’s education must be above all an invitation – an invitation to become the person they were created to be, to discover the greatness within them and find the sacred point where it intersects with the deep hunger of the world – the point of a calling.
Anything short of this is an injustice.
So as we stand at the precipice of a new year, I want to cast your eyes back to our “why.” I encourage you to remember the why. The “whats” will inevitably have ups and downs – victories and defeats, conflicts and resolutions. But it’s the “why” that will inspire and sustain you over the long term, much like the roots of that perennial flower, quietly compelling it to bloom in the fullness of its glory each and every spring.
Warmly,
Kristy Moody