The Game of Village

Peeps in Space!

Today, we had a first for Prairie Creek Village -- Peeps in Space!  Check it out:

 

Trust the Game

One of the things I've learned in the years I've done village is that you can trust the game to address almost any issue -- as long as you reflect enough about it.  Today put that to the test.

As you can read about in Oen's blog entry, A Painted Doorknob: A Breach of Trust, someone painted a door knob during Village today.  As soon as we found it, we had a bevy of kids who offered to clean it up.  But, as the students instinctively knew, the physical door knob wasn't the problem, it was that someone had broken the trust of the game.  The children are given a lot of freedom during Village, and, as they can recite verbatim, "with freedom comes responsibility."

After determining that the damage had occurred today and, most likely was done by a 4/5, we offered a low-key amnesty period so that the person who was responsible could tell us before things got too embarrassing.  Then, Cathy, Amy and I consulted and we decided that the federal government would sever ties with the villages.

The impact of this decision became clear quickly -- no woodshop, no store, no paint, no bank, no customs agent.  These are all services of the federal government.  Some peeps who had a lot of cash and close to finished homes were O.K., but others were devastated.  Cash would work for transactions.  Several cash rich students volunteered to loan cash to others.  Town meetings could still happen.

We let the citizens know that the federal government would respond to any solutions they proposed and then we ended the group meeting.  Instantly, the villages sprang into action.  (You can read about their responses in Ben's blog:  The Painted Doorknob II:  The Reckoning.)

The compact that the students wrote states (this is a paraphrase until I'm back at school tomorrow):

We, the people, will be responsible with all materials and matters.  If we are not, Village will be terminated.

As the students pointed out, this was a really big consequence they were subjecting themselves to and they thought it would work to deter any further problems.  They got all 60 students to sign in short order (granted, they had to strong arm one peep who's a bit of an anti-government, off the grid kind of guy -- he briefly considered leaving Anville to homestead in "the Great Beyond" as they call the land outside the town's borders.)  And then the federal government restored ties to the villages.  There were cheers and hugs and then we all got back to frantically getting ready for appraisal.

We never did discover who painted the handle.  Frankly, I don't care.  The message that was sent to all kids today, including the child who painted the handle, was that the community expects everyone to be responsible.  It's a much more powerful message than any I could deliver by myself -- and much more broad reaching than any set of individual rules we could develop.  A few children seemed frustrated at first that "everyone was being punished by the actions of one person."  But we talked about how the actions of one person do have an impact on the community -- whether it's a theft that makes us trust our neighbors less or vandalism that makes our town less beautiful.  In the classroom community, the more behavior is an issue, the less we are able to do -- the whole class suffers and so the whole class must set the expectations and hold each other to those expectations.

I'm struggling to come up with an ending less trite than, "It takes a Village..."  I'm a sucker for puns, especially after 10pm.  I welcome all comments, especially those that offer a more eloquent conclusion.

mmm

Inflation Woes and Wonders

I realized I was remiss in updating everyone about a few important happenings.  At the end of last week, Bentomaxwell, a defense contractor who was working on a wall for Anville, presented its invoice for the first half of the work.  $55,000!  The majority of this went to the salaries of the CFO and CEO along with a slew of middle managers.  The town was agog and promptly voted to terminate the work.  They realized in horror that they had voted to let these people work without giving them a budget or signing a contract.  But the fact remained that work had been done.  While the $55,000 was about a fifth of the town's overall worth, the invoice was honored.

The executives of Bentomaxwell, set about spending their windfall.  Spend they did -- $500 of Pixie Stix (crushed Nerds loaded into a straw and taped shut), $1000 root beer, $300 climbing wall experiences.  Their goal was to get the money out in the hands of the people.

But, with sudden additional money in the system, the amount people were willing to pay for things went up.  There was more money but the same amount of stuff in the villages -- the money was worth less than it had been.  Egads!  There was inflation.  The store was closed for inventory and when it reopened, prices had increased by 30%

Way Down South hadn't even hired the the contractors, why did they have to pay more?  Well, with the free trade between villages, the money was flowing freely across the border.  One child pointed out that no one from Bentomaxwell had bought anything from him so he didn't have any of the extra money but had to pay more.  Yup.  Another sighed with relief that they had already painted their house since paint had gone up in price (this engendered a good discussion about the affect of extreme inflation on people's savings).

The one astute child realized that, sometimes, inflation can work in your favor.  "Does this mean that our houses will be appraised for more, too, even though we bought most of our materials when it was cheaper?"  Indeed, it did.

Cathy, Amy and I had a lot of fun trying to make decisions about whether or not workers of Bentomaxweel should be allowed to spend all of that money and what should happen if they did.  One of the things I love about Village is the opportunity to puzzle through all of these things alongside the students.  MMM

How Do You Win in Village?

Today I was talking with Annie, our visiting ARTech teacher, about appraisal.  It's a large motivator for many of our kids and they make many decisions about the work they do on their house based on the value it could add (here are the Download Appraisal Guidelines).  On Wednesday, trained appraisers will visit the Village, get tours of property, read real estate descriptions and assess the value of each parcel of land.  Based on the average of one's appraisals, one's bank balance, one's loan and interest and one's cash on hand one can figure out how much money one ends the game with.

But we downplay this element of the game.  In fact, students will take home the worksheets to do at home, if they want.  Financial stability is a part of the game, but it is not the final measure.  For many peeps, property and even businesses are only a small part of what is going on.

So, how do you "win" at village?  Are you elected president?  Do you have a successful business?  Do you create beautiful things?  Do you invent the first ever peep hang glider?  Do you build something with nails for the very first time?  Do you love your job?  Do you learn about the Pythagorean theorem?  Do you write a book?  Do you earn your masters?  Do you foment political dissent?  Do you get married?  Do you have a baby?  Do you learn how to balance your checkbook?  Do you overcome that moment when you don't think you'll be able to finish?  Do you recover when your house falls apart as you nail in the second to last nail?

At the risk of sounding way too philosophical, Village, like life, has a lot of different ways to be successful.  Students have to find their own way and choose what they feel is important.  For many, it's overwhelming to not be able to do everything -- perhaps it's a good thing they get two years to play.

Houses on the Land

It's so much fun to see those houses springing up on the land!

 

"Who made that law, anyway?"

Cathy could hardly keep a straight face while working in the Robins and listening in on the Anville town meeting today.  Here is a summary of the proposals:

1. You will get two friendly warnings and then a 100 delta fine if you step on someone's land in Anville.  (passed)
2. Next human week will be National Goldfish Week in Anville and the town will buy everyone Goldfish crackers.  The town will also build an aquarium and bring live fish through customs (passed)
3. Everyone must tie a string or piece of yarn around his or her house.  The color is up to you.  There will be no religious exceptions.  (not passed)
4. A crew of four will build an apartment house with a common room and several private areas for changing and quarantine.  ARTech peeps may stay free, homeless peeps for 10 deltas and visitors for 20 deltas.  The town will pay for materials (passed)
5. We will begin every meeting with "Piano Man" or a arena rock anthem of the town's choice.  Everyone will sing together and the lyrics will be provided.  (not passed -- sadly)
6. Every peep must wear a hat or head dress when outside (including hair bands or anything that covers one's head).  The fine will be 50 deltas if you don't.  (passed)
7. One must cover one's entire floor with a table or tables (not passed)
8. A 35% tax would be levied on your property value on appraisal day (not passed)
9. Only serious proposals can be made.  You will be fined 50 deltas if you propose something that is not serious (tabled after a lot of interesting conversation about freedom of speech, censorship, and how one defines "serious."  At one point, it was suggested you be fined if you didn't vote for something that you proposed but a good debate often brings up issues that sway even the proposal writer...)
10. Peeps should have the Freedom of Voice.  No one can censor what you say.  (tabled -- also after a rich discussion about offensive speech, whether you could punish someone for what they say, and the difference between morally acceptable behavior and legally acceptable behavior.  It was also felt that legislation about rights might constitute a change to the government which can only be done by a full town meeting.  Are there any Constitutional scholars out their who can answer the question about whether or not the declaration of rights is changing the government or simply an act of government?)

Why all of the seemingly silly proposals?  It was a clever protest to point out the weakness inherent in a government by apathy.  When only those people who care attend meetings, there's no telling what they care about.  It could be arena rock anthems.

Several anti-hat protests were held at land time.  Many were wondering if there was a way to keep this silliness from happening.  Luckily, I know of a few citizens who have just such a plan developed...more updates tomorrow.

Photos from Memorial Day and Village Halloween

On Friday, Anville had a Halloween holiday. The first photos are of some peeps in their costumes. Then on Monday, we opened the school and invited kids and their families to come for a few hours of work time. It was great to see so many villagers and their family and friends.

 

Financial Literacy

Today, I spent some time bringing the bank's accounts up to date with all the checks and invoices that the students had turned in. As I worked, a few students popped up as being "in the red" with their accounts. I pulled those students aside and worked with them individually. The reactions, levels of knowledge, and levels of concern vary widely among students with regard to their financial situation in village. Some students are very conscientious; they meticulously log all their checks, try to take small loans and pay them back early, and even deposit cash back into the bank. Others pay little attention to the financial aspects of the game and only attend to it when they're called to discuss their delinquent accounts. I find this aspect of the game fascinating. Students ask questions that reveal the complexity of financial accounting and their attempts to make sense of it. One student asked today if he could give cash back to the bank and have the bank write him a check for it. Another disputed the bank's record of his balance--he knew he had more money than that because he was adding in his cash. We've had several conversations about cash vs. checks and the trade-off with cash between convenience and security. Some students, especially fourth graders, go crazy with their spending, only to find themselves very low on funds and having to make tough choices later in the game. All of this is terrific practice for their future financial lives. In village, going bankrupt is upsetting, but it won't have a lasting impact on their credit scores. I encourage you to have a conversation with your child about money, budgeting, checking accounts; and to ask them about their financial lives and decisions in village. CTO

The Calm Before the Storm

Today Anville had a whole town meeting in order to discuss a government proposal (an earlier law had made it illegal for a partial town meeting to make governmental changes).  A thoughtful proposal was put forth about a council of five elected officials who would make laws and consider citizen proposals.  The five would promise to make decisions for the good of the town and not themselves as individuals.  They would also have to follow through on the promises they made in their election speeches or they would leave (no means of forcing council members to leave was detailed however.)  An interesting discussion followed, including a query as to whether one could buy votes (no law against it).  But, in the end, the proposal did not pass.

Why not?  Well, in Village, things develop organically.  Instead of recreating the known world and forming a representative democracy, the need for representation develops from people not wanting to spend forever in meetings.  The solution that Anville came up with has worked well so far because no one has made decisions that anger the townspeople.  That may be about to change.  I've heard rumors that tomorrow's town meeting may be filled with frivolous speeches and laws -- a protest of sorts to show that a government formed through apathy may not be in the best interests of the town.  We'll see if the town reacts by wanting to put a more formal governmental structure in place.

If that doesn't work -- the bill from a defense contractor might.  An early proposal stated that defenses would be built (this was during the BTTSV issue).  Some recent Village immigrants (ahem, ARTech students) volunteered to build the defenses.  The town hired them -- without setting a budget.  The group is a little top heavy in executive management (three peeps are paid $7000 a day), a few middle managers have also been hired and then some laborers (at $20 a day).  The bill for the first few days of work will be submitted soon.  It's not enough to bankrupt the town but it will raise some interesting questions...who signs the town checks?  How do we know what the town is paying out?  How do we keep people from taking advantage of the town?  Should there be a punishment for people who do take advantage of the town?  How would we seek justice (remember, we don't have a court system)?

It's no coincidence that the action is government is starting to heat up just as the first houses are going out on the land.  Now that people feel more secure in their personal lives, their vision can expand to the community. --mm

Humming Along Nicely

Things have been busy in Way Down South and Anville.  Many houses are now out on the land and the shingling classes will be filling up quickly in the coming week.  Often, as students focus intensely on their houses, their is a lull in governmental action (and intrigue).  I sense that lull is about to end.  

On Friday, the students in Anville's town meeting decided to fine anyone who did not come to the town's mandatory picture day -- anyone except for those people who were in the meeting, that is.  It was the first glimmer of an abuse of power that the group had shown.  Another proposal was to fine anyone who didn't come to the meeting one delta per minute the meeting went on.  This proposal was defeated, in large part because the ARTech citizens knew trouble when they saw it and voted against it in a block.  So, it looks as though the days of the "come if you feel like it" town meetings may be nearing an end.  A few bad decisions and citizens begin to realize they have no one to blame but themselves if they are completely laissez faire about their government.)  We shall see.

Friday was also Halloween in Anville, the first time in my memory that there has been an official Village holiday.  It spurred a lot of excitement and commerce (surely Peep appreciation day is right around the corner...or perhaps "Love your Big Person" day).  I especially enjoyed seeing decorations going up in people's yards.  Now all we need is 1/24 scale rubbermaid containers to keep everything tucked away neatly until next year.

 

While it's fun to talk about the unique aspects of this year of Village, there are some things that happen every year.  In the video below -- you'll see people building their houses.  Everyone learns to use saws, hammers, drills, vises, clamps, T-squares and screw drivers.  "Lefty loosey, Righty tighty" and "Measure twice, cut once" can be heard often in the workshop as students talk themselves through the problem solving necessary when constructing anything.

You'll also see a few students spending some quiet time with their checkbooks.  Everyone learns how to write a check and how to record it in a check registry.  Believe it or not, we have a bank in which all transactions are entered and students are notified (and fined) if they bounce a check or don't fill something out correctly.  When they open their accounts, students learn about collateral and interest (and the importance of reading and understanding any contract that you sign.)

Both towns now use Deltas (their money) to simplify commerce.  However, they're learning the hard lessons of a cash economy, too.  Several have lost money and many, many have found it way too easy to spend a day's worth of income on rubarb soda.