More than a buzz word

Reflection. It was a word I heard over and over again throughout my undergrad. It seemed as though every education professor was hooked on the concept of reflection. I began to hear the sales pitch on how reflection is essential to improve teaching so many times that I stopped hearing it. I tuned it out. I HATED journaling as a kid. I was never consistent in my entries, and my hand cramped after trying to write neatly in a small book. Immediately, that's what I thought of when I heard the word reflection.

So here I am, just finished with my first year of teaching, and attempting to make reflection more than a buzz word. I am proud to say that I kept a (fairly) consistent journal this past year, recording all of the ups and downs I experienced as I tried to do more than just survive my first year. My goal for this blog is to go back through that journal and my plan book and do a little more intentional reflection. This summer will be time for me to relax and recharge, but also reevaluate this past year--what worked, what failed miserably, what I learned about my students, what I learned about myself, what I learned about education, what I knew already but was reminded of in some unsuspecting way. And hopefully by August, I'll be ready to do it all over again, maybe with a few more tricks up my sleeve.