It's Time to Reflect (Part 1)

     As we rapidly approach summer break, I find myself reflecting on the past school year more and more each day. This is definitely not a new practice for me; during my twelve years in the classroom I always found the end of the year a valuable time for "big picture" reflection. "Big picture" reflection is slightly different than the types of reflection we should be doing throughout the school year. Those daily reflections tend to zero in on what went right and what went wrong on that particular day, whereas an end-of-the-year reflection tends to focus on the goals we had set for ourselves at the start of the year -- did we meet them? Why or why not? Did these goals change as the year progressed? How come? Do we have new goals for next year? 

     I came across a blog this morning by Heather Skipworth Craven of "Inspiring Teachers" in which she articulates exactly how I feel about end-of-year reflecting, along with some guiding questions to help you get started. I encourage you to read her blog post here. 

     I especially like that Craven points out the value of reflecting with another teacher -- it can be so helpful to share our thoughts, questions, struggles, and triumphs with a trusted colleague (perhaps an instructional coach?). Craven also insists on the need for teachers to purposely set aside time specifically for reflection. I couldn't agree more! We all know how busy a teacher's day is, and how easy it is to get swept up in grading, lesson planning, meeting with a student for extra help (all very important tasks, to be sure!). That's why it's key to schedule in reflection time for ourselves. I like to type up my thoughts on a daily reflection log saved on my desktop. Some days I type for quite awhile, and I find it really helps me to put some things into perspective, to come up with action plans to solve problems, to vent, to breathe. Other days, I type my reflection into the log in a total of 5 minutes because that's all I have that day. Don't let reflection overwhelm you or stress you out, but don't sweep it under the carpet, either. Try to get into a daily or at least weekly habit of sitting with your thoughts, whether you put them on paper or discuss them with a colleague, or think through them during your afternoon jog.

     And, certainly, take advantage of this time of year to reflect on the big picture.