Habits of Mind

Our Reflections, Ourselves

By May 8, 2015 October 20th, 2018 One Comment

Each time I sit down to write this blog, I ask myself, “What did I learn today in school?”

Often, I have to admit that I don’t know. That’s not to say that I didn’t learn many things; I just don’t know for sure what those things were until I sit and reflect.

What did I learn today? What did I learn today? The question nags at me and pushes me to constantly reflect on my own learning. Sometimes, it churns up a solid enough idea to post here.

Reflection is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of education. My students don’t all love the exercise, however. They often ask, “Why do I have to write an extra paragraph explaining what I was trying to do in my paper? I just told you, in my paper!”

Of course reflection is not merely an explanation of what we intended to do or believe we did. It is a sacred space where we can be honest with ourselves about why what we did is important to us, why it should matter to others, how we think we may have done well, where we feel we may have fallen short.

@msflaxman

@msflaxman

Jessica is a doctoral candidate, education consultant, writer and editor. She is the founder of bookclique, a collaborative of English teachers and students working to promote book culture, and a co-founder of Well-Schooled, the site for educator storytelling, dedicated to sharing first-person educator stories. All Rights Reserved - What I Learned Today in School.

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