Ancient Rome: A Lively Discussion With Caesar Augustus
















Today the students played the role of Roman Senators in the year 10 AD.

They advised Caesar Augustus about how he should prioritize various projects that could benefit the empire, including military expeditions, aqueducts, a public library, and gladiator games at the Colosseum.

Charlie M., Artie, Sarah, and Charlie H. played the role of Augustus in the four classes. Each one had a unique leadership style, and each was superb.


Charlie M. tried to solicit as many different perspectives and ideas as possible. He carefully processed the various ideas, and he struck a serious tone that inspired an impressive discussion (with particularly sophisticated insights from the triumvirate of Morgan, Lilly and Hailey).

Artie was quiet and confident as his boisterous group of advisors disagreed strongly with one another. Eventually, Artie took over and calmly guided the group to a wise (and correct) decision.

Sarah demonstrated some of the best listening skills I've seen all year. She literally leaned-in to listen closely to each of the Senators, and she probed with helpful follow-up questions if a classmate's opinion was unclear.

Charlie H. excelled at making each Senator feel respected and heard. I loved the way he made eye contact with each speaker, paused knowingly at the conclusion of a comment, and then nodded his head confidently before proceeding on.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to play the role of Augustus, and I look forward to the conclusion of the discussions tomorrow!

During Break we relaxed for a game of Apples to Apples. Henry was clearly elated with one of his words!

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