Crew is a key component of Expeditionary Learning, our guiding methodology at our full-day elementary school.

What is a crew? A crew consists of one teacher and 10-15 students who meet every day to check in, set goals, reflect on their work, learn team-building skills, and implement our core learning values.

Students are encouraged to think of themselves as crew members, not passengers, on the journey of their own learning.

At Safe Passage, each crew picks a name that reflects a goal that the students are working toward. One 6th grade crew decided to call themselves the Dolphins because dolphins are happy, intelligent animals with a generous spirit who have an incredible capacity for empathy and who can connect emotionally with other species. This crew decided that dolphins embody the type of life they’d like to have one day.

After learning about the myth of the phoenix, another crew decided to call themselves the Phoenixes because they knew they had to improve certain behaviors and be “reborn” into a new era of behavior and hard work.

During crew, students bond with each other and their teacher by sharing what they did over the weekend, playing group-building games, reflecting on academic goals, and talking about how to lead a value-led life.

One teacher told us about an activity his crew loves, called “Guess Who I Am.” In this game, a student holds up a card with a word on it and the rest of the students give hints until the student figures out what word is on his card. It’s a great activity for learning to work together as a group.

Learn more about Expeditionary Learning at Safe Passage.