Last week I stole from Lisa, and this week I’m stealing a
response to what Lisa wrote, but I want to make a point about the importance of
reflection in teaching. I’ll start with some background, give you a
story, and make an argument.
The Background
One of the things we know is that we don't take enough time
to reflect on how we are doing. Our schedules are tight. Our To Do lists
grow rather than shrink. The next class walks through the door, and we
struggle to keep our noses above water. Jim Collins, who wrote the Good
to Great books on leadership, tells of the value of spending extended time
on reflection: 80% of the time doing our job and 20% of the time figuring out
how to get better. Most of us agree this is a good idea but wonder how
that could possibly work in real life.
The upshot is that we hear that we should take time to
reflect—and we agree—but the next deadline rushes at us. So we put off
the important for the urgent. You know the feeling.
The Story:
Below is a response I received to last week’s “From B106”
memo. It comes from Jen Eberly, who teaches English Language Learners,
primarily from Mexico, and presents a compelling story about the importance of
knowing our students and building strong relationships with them. From
Jen:
What you wrote about comes up each year for me in my
EL classes. Christmas in the States is an incredibly lonely and sad time
for many of my students. Being far away from friends, family, and special
traditions makes the anticipation of Christmas a rather large let down.
Christmas traditions in Mexico are focused around family and the community.
Most, if not all, towns celebrate with posadas which would be best described as
a holiday progressive where families spend the evening moving from house to
house to celebrate the holiday. As families moved here to the States,
these traditions were left in Mexico, along with the family members who stayed
behind. Crossing the border at night with only the clothes on your back
obviously means that treasured Christmas decorations do not make the list of
necessary items. Most are also in situational poverty which translates to
not having extra money to purchase a tree or new Christmas decorations once
they have arrived.
As a way of bringing some cheer to the classroom
this year, I took my level III students to Eby Pines to experience cutting down
a Christmas tree. I had the time of my life watching them carefully scrutinize
each and every tree, trying to find one they deemed worthy of representing our
class. ....Of course reality set in after some time, and I eventually had to
say, "Good Lord, just pick one in the next 60 seconds or I'm going to pick
it for you!"
They finally found one, took turns sawing it down
and carried it back to the bus. Now they fondly enter the room each day
and greet the tree which they have named Gordita! They have even brought
their friends by to visit it! Of course it doesn't make up for their lost
memories and traditions, but perhaps it helps to brighten this season just a
bit.
The Argument:
Story-telling is reflection. In fact, considering our
daily demands and schedule, it may be the most realistic form of reflection
available to us. Consider Jen’s story above. You can talk all you
want about building relationships and understanding your students. You
could read books and research on its importance, and you could spend hours
writing about it.
Or you can tell the story of how one teacher is making a
difference in the lives of her students.
You all have these stories to tell. These are stories
of engaged students, of lessons that challenge kids and make them think, and of
seeing the light bulb go on. They also might be stories of lessons that
flopped. You tried something, and it didn’t work. It happens!
Tell the story, laugh about it, and then tell the story of how you fixed the
problem. When you do, you have spent time reflecting on good teaching
practice, and it will pay dividends later on.
You have great stories to tell, important stories. I
encourage you to find time to tell them to yourself and to others. And I
hope you find time to create opportunities for new stories. Story-telling
is part of the reflection process. It is part of the learning
process. It is how we will continue our journey towards excellence.
I hope your week is a great one, one worth talking about.
Phil
Some sage advice on the importance of reflection:
- “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” –James Levin
- “I am writer of books in retrospect. I talk to understand; I teach in order to learn.” –Robert Frost
- “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” –Confucius
- “Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best—and change—from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.” --John Kotter
No comments:
Post a Comment