Student Transformation: Surf & Powder Term Experiences

Discover Term programs focus on introducing students to three pillars of mastery - self-mastery, academic mastery, and physical mastery, each of which will impact our students for the rest of their lives. Although the three pillars are the same, Surf Term and Powder Term deliver unique experiences, which is why many of our students attend both terms. 

One such student, Arthur had initial intentions of solely attending Surf Term, but the growth in his leadership skills and further development of his ability to be brave and patient inspired him to want to continue his development at the subsequent Powder Term. At the time of the terms, Arthur was a 7th grader at a public school in Texas. His parents opened up about how they found Discover Term, the hurdles they faced with their son leaving school for 10 weeks, and the transformation he experienced.

Learning About Discover Term

Arthur’s parents first heard about Discover Term from a close family friend whose daughter had attended the first-ever Powder Term. Her experience was so powerful that she had subsequently enrolled in the first-ever Surf Term, which Arthur was looking to attend. 

Arthur’s parents thought that attending a Discover Term program would be an amazing leadership opportunity for him, especially since he had grown up as “a classic younger brother, trying to get out of his older brother’s shadow.” His parents went on to say, “Arthur didn’t have a lot of opportunities to take on leadership roles before we sent him to Surf Term, and that had a lot to do with why we sent him, for character-building.”

Working with Your School to Attend a Term

Arthur’s family was confident in the value that sending their son to a Discover Term program would bring, yet they were initially concerned about how his school would react to this opportunity. They framed the experience to the principal as a leadership program in Costa Rica that would last five weeks. The principal told them Arthur would need to be withdrawn from school and re-enrolled when he returned from Surf Term.

Arthur’s parents explained that when you unenroll your child, you don’t owe the school anything. You don’t owe any missed assignments or homework. You just have to ensure they don’t fall behind in their core skills. They asked the school what to focus on and they said to keep up with his math and Spanish. The other content area was Texas History, but the school was able to send his family a workbook for him to do on his own time. Arthur worked on his Discover Term goal sheet before arrival, which helped him stay on track and achieve his goals.

For parents worried about missing too much school, Arthur’s parents had this advice:

“Parents' biggest concern is that if they pull their student for five weeks, they are going to be behind - but in reality, the stakes are so low at this age. I would say don’t do this because you want them to get better in a subject. Do this because you want them to be a better human. They can always catch up and study. They can learn whatever five weeks they missed. If you're looking for them to be advanced in subjects, this is not for you. If you’re looking for them to have an experience of a lifetime - then this IS for you.”

Arthur’s Transformation at Discover Term

At Discover Term, students live in a safe environment where they’re able to stretch their limits and develop a greater awareness of their capabilities. Arthur’s Mom remarked, “Discover Term is an interesting combination of two of my son’s qualities. He is cautious, yet brave. You are in a safe environment, all these people caring for you and lifting you up, and yet, it does teach you that you need to bring in an element of braveness. You are leaving your family for five weeks, you’re being thrown in with a bunch of people you don’t know, and you’re doing something you might not be the best at and so … be brave!”

And brave Arthur was. Before leaving for Surf Term, his parents told him, “It’s not going to be easy, and you may not surf as well as other people. It just needs to be, ‘I have a goal, I dreamed it, I did it, and now I know I can do hard things.’” Arthur had never surfed before attending Surf Term (like many of our students). His Mom tells a beautiful story of one of Arthur’s most proud moments that was driven by his accelerated bravery that he developed at Surf Term, “having pretty much no prior experience - he said he wanted to go to the outside waves where the more advanced surfers were. That was his goal. No one else had made it out there besides students who had surfed before, and then one day he DID IT! It was hard and it was scary, but he did it!!”

Surf Term to Powder Term

Each term, students write letters back and forth with their parents and get two Sunday phone calls. After hearing about Arthur’s experience in the early weeks, and seeing our in-depth weekly updates and photo albums, Arthur’s Mom had written to our team stating that she was almost positive that Arthur would want to attend the upcoming Powder Term, which he did just two months later. 

In reference to sending your kid to Discover Term, Arthur’s Mom said, “I think it takes brave parents!” and “If you’re considering it, DO IT.”

They took their own advice.

Unexpected Growth: Math & Friendships

Taking the advice of their school, Arthur focused intently on math during Surf Term, and he came back with a new-found confidence and courage to tackle the curriculum that his parents had never seen before, 

“It blew our minds! He came back from this program, amongst all the other wonderful things that happened, and said ‘I am good at math.’ And he never felt that way. He wasn't necessarily a strong math student beforehand - he’s always been average in that subject area. But he just kept saying, ‘I figured it out, I am good at math. I need to go up a grade level and be in honors math - I’m ready.”

Although it took a little advocating for her son with the school as they didn’t believe he was ready, Arthur was able to move up into the accelerated class. “And guess what?! Straight A’s!”

“He even studied for the state test” - he was so motivated!”

His Mom said, “I don't even care about the scores - the fact that he had the effort and the desire mattered more than anything else.”

“Arthur would not be there if not for Discover Term.”

And in terms of relationships, his parents said when he came back, he initially missed the Discover Term cohorts and camp vibe, but now, “He’s a better friend to people than he ever was. He learned how to be a friend.”

His Mom went on to add, “I asked him who did you hang out with? And he said: ‘We all hung out with each other. Everyone hung out together, we were super tight. No one broke off into groups. He's still on a group chat with the two crews!”

Lasting Impressions

“To me, it’s the ultimate gift you can give your kids. Giving kids experiences … they’re going to come back to you in their 20s and be so grateful and tell you what an impact it made. And it’s just a small blip on the middle school map - you can recover from five weeks gone from middle school.”

The transformation continues to live within Arthur. Perhaps most beautifully, his parents noted: 

“He takes the initiative to explore the things he likes more and excels at them. The self-mastery component is really important, to not just dabble in something, but to go deep in.”

What transformation might be possible for your child at a Discover Term program? Curious to chat with us about one of our programs? If you’re ready to be brave and apply for your child to attend the adventure of a lifetime we encourage you to do so for Powder Term and Surf Term before this brief moment in their life has passed you by.