The Importance of Reflecting

A few people in the staffroom are talking about our reflections we do on a Thursday morning.

"Who in your department is even going to read them?"

"They're time consuming."

Laughter, "No-one will read them!"

Hmmm.

I wonder what those people would do if I showed them the stats of this blog or even one of my favourite teaching blogs...
Because in a small way they're right. Unless you're sharing your Interlead reflections with others in your school - no-one will be reading them. With Interlead - there isn't an easy way to read them. You've got to find each blog through a different link - whereas it'd be easier if it was on some type of blog roll or blog list like Blogger do.

I've tried to pass on these changes to the Interlead tech team... but they don't really seem to want to alter it.

If there isn't a global audience or even one outside our school - you'll only ever get perspectives from the same type of people - especially if you've only shared it with people who sit at your table.

If there was a way to show them that reflecting was HUGE and that others around the world could see it... then perhaps they'd see a point in it.

It's still a new thing to them too. For forever they haven't needed to be self-reflective or share their struggles or inquiries with others. It can be seen as having lost your power even admitting that you're struggling to your colleagues.
Of all people - your colleagues should be the ones that encourage and support you to get through the struggles.

Still - the one thing that irks me is when people ask - what kind of class is it. My frustrated answer is usually - a bunch of the craziest, zaniest, happiest and brightest group of kids.

Not ever should you give a kid a label of saying- they're an S class or that they're in Diligence or in Extension or they're in TRP or...

Why?

Because the kids then think that label is who they are. They begin to feel that they are all that label is - ever encompassing - and more importantly - that they will never be anything more than that.

Gah. Stop labelling kids. How are they ever going to overcome challenges and build growth mindsets if you only ever have a fixed and set mindset about them?