Embracing Observation & Reflection to Guide One’s Journey

If 2020 has taught me one thing, it’s to slow down and reflect. For many years life has been filled with the busyness of typical life. As a mom and educator, my days would blur together and weekends were often spent working on components of my speaking and consulting business. I hear from others that the “shut-down” in March 2020 led them to slow down as suddenly options of things to do were limited. For many of us, work became busier. However, I found that I also had more time to be with family, cook, and train our puppy Chloe (who is now 11 months old) since I wasn’t prepping for and traveling to conferences and events that had been either cancelled or postponed.

Currently, with the new school year, most of us are back to being busy and unfortunately, feeling a great deal of stress. My goal is to continue to be more in-tune with myself through observations of feelings and reflection. During the past 6 months, there’s been a shift taking place. I’ve dug deep into what inspires me and what I feel passionate about because my attention was being pulled in various directions. As my day-to-day life slowed down throughout the summer months, I began finding immense joy in things that I didn’t realize I was missing out on. From hiking and working out more often, to playing games with my family, or just sitting outside in the evening staring at the stars with my husband, I felt a greater pull towards doing more activities that allowed me to ‘just be’ and even explore new passions. For example, I’ve embarked on training our puppy, Chloe, as a therapy dog to work with children in schools. I’m also working on some exciting new projects, which I’ll share more about in time.

With the exception of working out, this wasn’t how I typically spent my time in the past, nor did I plan to do some of what I’m currently doing. It’s fascinating to think that had the “shut down” not occurred, I wouldn’t be on the same trajectory that I am now. There was nothing wrong with it and yes, I’ll continue my work, but I’m also open to new opportunities along the way.

Remain Open to the Journey & Embrace Opportunities

How often do we forge ahead doing what we think is the next best logical move without slowing down to even reflect on our journey? In my case, I’ve chosen to take a step back and listen to my heart. I have chosen to give myself grace and accept that sometimes while on the journey of life, new paths present themselves. We can choose to stay on the path that appears to be all planned out or take new and different directions that lead us to unique and beautiful destinations. Perhaps we vear off of the main trail for a bit to go sightseeing and learn, but eventually reconvein on the original path? I’m not sure and that’s okay for me.

My own experiences remind me of how often in education we move through curriculum and cover content that is specific to each grade level. It’s as though we have this pre-created path for learners. I can’t help but wonder how many students feel like they’re just being led through a guided tour in comparison to those who have a say in their journey? In the past I’ve written about carving out the time for learners to explore their interests and how we can empower learning through authentic and meaningful experiences in my book, Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation. These topics are incredibly important in education. If we are not carving out time for learners to observe and reflect, they just might miss the path that’s best designed for them.

Now, I get it. School is insanely busy, especially right now. However, we need to keep in mind that our kids may be feeling stress that is just as comparable to what we feel. In many cases, there are still no sports, no dances, limits on gatherings, and some children are expected to learn while 100% remote or partially remote and in a hybrid model. Many kids are responsible for themselves and even their siblings. Students need to engage in social-emotional learning that encourages mindfulness to be in tune with themselves, activities that develop their interests, and feel empowered to make adjustments to meet their needs. We want children to participate in learning because they want to and experience joy, not just complete assignments because they have to.

Learning is a Journey

Sure, we can forge ahead with the curriculum so we feel “caught up,” but slowing down on occasion to engage in observation and reflection is what can help us to learn more deeply over time. Being mindful through making observations on how we feel and then reflecting on what brings us stress or joy, provides feedback that can be used to navigate our journey. That’s not to say we avoid everything that causes stress, but perhaps being informed on what the root cause of our stress is will help us formulate a strategy to work through it.

We want learners to make observations about their feelings and recognize what drives them to learn. Reflecting on what excites and inspires them provides information on which path might be best for them as they journey through life.

Tips to Encourage Observation and Reflection in Learners:

• Have students note how they feel about  lessons/topics within a unit.
• Encourage learners to identify what’s causing them to feel the way that they feel.
• Ask: what might make the experience or activity better?
• Provide choice in how learners demonstrate their learning.
• Inquire: where do you learn best (inside, outside, certain seating, etc.).
• Have learners create a list of what excites them or what they’re curious about.
• Incorporate time for mindfulness.
• Encourage free writes or journaling.
• Deliberately expose learners to a wide variety of topics (can be through images, news articles, maps, etc.) to spark interest and evoke curiosity. Then, reflect on what specifically sparked interest.
• Use of of the framework from Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E. to help the whole child thrive.
• Provide time for learners to explore topics that pique their interest and connect it with a learning project (you can tie in standards and create a project outline to ensure you’re still hitting targets). This could be through project based learning or passion projects.

Being in tune with oneself is what leads us to live the life we imagine while also appreciating the journey. I would never want someone to tell me that I have to stay on one specific path simply because that’s the one I initially selected nor, would I want someone else to direct my every move. I want to have a main path, but explore and develop new interests and passions along the way. As a parent, I want the same for our boys. Yes, they require the essentials of reading, writing, math, history, science, etc. As we guide them through their early life, the goal is to empower them as navigators through gradual release. I would prefer them to select a path that works best for who they are as individuals, rather than selecting a path because they feel that it’s the safest choice or based on the recommendation of someone else. To do so, they have to understand how they learn best, what their strengths, gifts, and talents are, how to motivate themselves, and use their strengths in a meaningful way. They too, benefit from taking time to step away to make observations and reflect throughout their journey.

“There is no greater journey than the one that you must take to discover all of the mysteries that lie within you”

– Michelle Sandlin

In our schools, are we hyper vigilant on what we feel needs to be completed, or are we taking a step back to remember learning occurs in many ways? Learning occurs best when we spark curiosity and deeply engage learners, within an environment with trusting relationships. We can incorporate any number of the strategies listed above to encourage learners to dig deeper into observation and reflection. In my experience, when we incorporate the tips listed, students develop greater motivation as active participants in learning.  As educators, let’s also remember that we benefit from observation and reflection, too. In moving forward, which tip would be ideal for your learners to foster observation and reflection?