Reflection

This afternoon I attended a discussion on using reflection in my composition classes. I realized a couple of things over the course of this discussion. One, I haven't been using reflection enough in my classroom. And two, I haven't been using reflection enough in my life.

Though we were talking about how to create assignments and activities that will help our students reflect effectively on their writing, I was struck by the necessity of reflection in general in our lives. Reflection is how we make sense of the world, the way we make the connections that give us inspiration.

I remembered one semester in particular when I was taking what felt like too many classes. I was rushing from assignment to assignment, writing responses and essays that I hadn't had any time to think through, just to get the assignments in on time. And I was miserable, because nothing made sense or seemed to fit together.

So I try now to be sure that when I write a response to a reading that I've actually thought, at least for a few minutes, about what it means, how it relates to other things I've read, and how I might be able to use this perspective/experience in my own work. The more I'm able to do this, the more satisfied I am with my work and the better my work is.

I've come across a few blogs and websites this evening that talk about reflection, mostly in an educational setting, though this morning LinkedIn also sent me a post about scheduling downtime--for what the author calls it 'strategic thinking'--into the work day.

Then there are all the spiritual practices that have arisen throughout history: prayer, meditation, scripture study, mindfulness. These are all ways to focus and reflect.

As we go about our lives we experience many things, but until we take time to reflect on them, the connections don't become apparent. But those connections are where new ideas (or new implementations of old ideas) come from, and for me that is where the excitement is!