Reflection of Reflection

Reflection…a noun is consideration, thinking, thought, contemplation, and deliberation.

My teaching career started in August, 2000. After 8 years, I have decided to complete the requirements for National Board Certification. When first introduced to National Board Certification a few years ago, there was a mysterious box that applicants received. The contents of the box were a secret. Applicants were not supposed to tell anyone of the contents.

Now, all material is online. It is still a massive amount of paperwork to read; however, the contents are no longer secretive. After looking at what my printer was spitting out, I can see why applicants wouldn’t want to share “the box.” Why would one take a chance on someone working so hard for a year and then another stealing right out from under them? It could happen.

Today, since all information is online, the major focus is reflection. Consideration…What does “it” (the evidence of impact on the student) look like? Contemplation…How does it impact student learning? Thinking…a forming of thoughts. Deliberation…serious thinking about what something looks like and its impact on something.

Let’s reflect on reflection for a moment to try and grasp a concept of “Reflection.” As I reflect on reflecting, it occurs to me that this “Reflection” needed to complete National Board Certification is really a deliberation. A deliberate act of thinking that sinks into the depths of the mind to produce a deep, purposeful response.

This type of thinking is somewhat foreign to me even though I am a kinesthetic learner. I analyze things heavily to the point of overanalyzing many things to my detriment. As I prepare to be a purposeful thinker, I am looking for ways to find time to think. After attending the meeting on National Board Certification, I was told to start “reflecting” now by starting a journal. The journal doesn’t have to have anything to do with teaching, just learn to reflect.

My buddy teacher, Ms. English, says this process is to pull the creativity out of me. So now, not only to I have to reflect, I have to be creative in that reflection. Creative, an adjective, is defined as original, imaginative, inspired, artistic, inventive, and resourceful. I am uncertain if it would be bragging or not, I feel I can be imaginative to a certain extent. I have some artistic ability…The ability to needlepoint, cross stitch, and make decorative candles. This is where my imagination and creative “juices” tend to flow in the best manner. I would not consider myself original in the teaching process because I do not reinvent the wheel. If there are lessons out there that suffice for my curriculum and I have permission to use them, I do. I may revamp a little to suit my purpose but I have not created very many original assignments. Therefore, in light of the last sentence, I would term myself more resourceful in the classroom than original.

Creative reflection…my opinion would be one needs to be resourceful to complete the process. I have been creative in trying to persuade my students to learn. Especially after Spring Break. The senior class, every year, tends to be “DONE.” Their pop-up timer has popped. The intent forms for graduation have been passed out and students find out they really don’t need my class to graduate. Once this secret is released creative resourcefulness is needed for seniors to keep them on task and working. Why would a student just blow off a class? The answer is simple…Gathered credits exceed graduation requirements and a failing grade barely impacts the grade point average.

Most students do not comprehend the future. Teens live for today and now; therefore, the thought of what the grade of ”F” on a transcript for an elective class does not play a part into planning for the future. I understand the concept of cutting grades at the end of nine weeks to determine graduation; however, do the students have to receive the “Intent to Graduate” in the second week of April? How can creative resourcefulness come into play to get all the necessary paperwork done before graduation but not let the student in on the secret they only need English and Math to graduate. In my creative reflective thinking, this feels very much like a slap in the face to those of us who work so diligently to create the finest lesson plans that relate to the student.

Therefore, when reflecting in a purposeful manner, using creative thinking to complete the process, there is only one goal…How to impact the student.