NEW JOB POSTING: The MACC Mini-Brain!
There is a new position opening up in the Capitol Hill MACC 6/7 program: the MACC Mini-Brain.
The Mini-Brain is a job similar to “class president.” The role of the Mini-Brain is to be the teacher when Prof. Wu Wei isn’t in the room or when he doesn’t feel like being the teacher. The Mini-Brain is to Prof. Wu Wei as Robin is to Batman. The Mini-Brain is a natural leader, fair and kind, and helps shape policies that affect the lives of the students of Division 3.
MACC Mini-Brain Job Description
Duties:
- Forms government of choice
- Helps individuals and the class as a whole honor the Class Agreement
- Holds bi-weekly Town Hall meetings to share policy decisions and hear the concerns of constituents
- Serves as Prof. Wu Wei’s Butler
- At the end of each day, writes tomorrow’s date on the board in English, French, and Chinese
- Helps Prof. Wu Wei make decisions, such as:
- what activities to do for D.P.A.
- when to take breaks
- what movie to watch for the end of term celebration
- things he doesn’t want to think about
- Creatively diverts people’s attention when they notice how messy Prof. Wu Wei’s desks are getting
- Controls the class jobs basket
- Helps classmates solve minor conflicts
- Holds the tie-breaking vote in the case of a tie in class votes
- Reminds people to do their jobs
- Welcomes guests to the room and helps make TOCs’ lives bearable
- Politely corrects Prof. Wu Wei’s spelling errors
- Sighs wearily at the P.A. system when there are too many announcements (eye-rolling optional)
- Other duties as they arise
Term: One month
Mandatory Skills/Assets: a personalized combination of some of the following traits:
- Responsible
- Wise
- Empathetic
- Understanding
- Supportive
- Diplomatic
- Energetic
- Decisive
- Disciplined
- Intelligent
- Active
- Hard-working
- Ethical
- Aware
- Patient
- Honest
- Good listener
- Cooperative
- Respectful
- Passionate
- Collaborative
- Positive
- Efficient
- Charismatic
- Selfless
- Brave
- Humorous
- Loyal
- Strategic
- Encouraging
- Unbiased
- Influential
- Democratic
- Inclusive
- Eco-friendly
- Grateful
- Reasonable
- Optimistic
- Accepting
- Mentally stable
- Friendly
- Loving
- Helpful
- Kind
- Caring
- Fair
- Mature
- Incorruptible
- Thoughtful
- Prudent
- Balanced
- Attentive
- Equanimous
- Observant
- Peaceful
- Truthful
- Clear
- Logical
- Health-conscious
- Careful
- Calm
- Agreeable
Hello, Leaders of Tomorrow. Welcome to your first campaign.
For a combination of Career Education, Social Studies, Writing, Math, and Art learning, you will each create a project to determine the first MACC Mini-Brain!
Remember that letter and package from President Obama that we explored? For the Campaign for Mini-Brain project, you will each create your own version of that document. It will contain:
- A campaign poster, done on 8.5 x 11 paper or cardstock. This can be a self-portrait, like the photo of President Obama that was in the package we explored, or an eye-catching and meaningful visual, or some combination of those two representations, with a catchy and persuasive slogan.
- Creative choice: remember the bios of the two Obama dogs? What would you use on this third page to humanize yourself, grab our hearts, and tell us more about your values?
- A written interview, in which you answer the same questions that President Obama answered, with the idea of being truthful and showing your personality, but also trying to win our votes.
- A persuasive essay, explaining why you should be the first MACC Mini-Brain. In this essay, you will try to win our votes by explaining how and why you best fit the Mini-Brain job description. On Campaign Day, you will deliver this speech to the class.
Big Idea: Clarity of Communication—what am I doing, visually, verbally, and textually, to make my values clear and persuade my public?
First steps:
- Choose the three leadership qualities from our class-generated list that you think you most naturally inhabit.
- Decide upon your vision: what do you stand for? What is your version of the ideal Room 105? How will you lead us there?
Remember: all aspects of a political campaign have been extremely well thought out—everything is there for a reason, working to shape the public’s opinion. Even the most casual-seeming of choices have been tested and planned. With each choice you make, ask, Why? How does this contribute to my message?
Also remember: there is no one way of being an effective leader, and there are not leaders and non-leaders; leadership potential exists inside us all, and there are an infinite variety of ways of expressing it—what’s yours?
The Mini-Brain is not an idealized you, but the best of the authentic, quirky, non-performative, individual you, showing us the way.
Good luck!