Looking Back To Thrust Forward

A teacher’s job is never done. Even if they are not physically in their classroom planning, they are reading books, going to trainings, making activities, dreaming up relevant activities, and wondering about their students; this is what they do over the summer. Teachers also look back and reflect! If we never look back and reflect, we can never truly go ahead. I go through this process mid-school year, at the end of every schoolyear, at the end of a project or endeavor and or class, and somewhat regularly with relationships. Looking back is a powerful tool!

I often tell my reading students that they have to pause and reflect on what they have read. It’s a time to gather their thoughts, evaluate, make judgments, question, wonder, and do so much more. How often do we take the time to pause and reflect? Masters teachers do it almost on a moment-by-moment basis. Yet, we need to stop, pause, and reflect. You may think I just contradicted myself, but reflecting goes on all the time. Take the idea of training for a marathon. There are just certain times- like when you are about to make another lap on the track and you have to decide if you will slow down, speed up, do an extra round, take a break, have a quick drink of water- when you need to make a quick decision. On the flip side, going into the race, you have devised a thorough plan. At the end of it all, you will evaluate each step. Look for places where you can make changes to beat your time etc. So, preparing to run a race is a lot like getting ready for a schoolyear. When the run is done, one must look back!

At the end of the year, I give my students an evaluation to fill out. Though I try to put myself in their shoes, I do not know what they experience entirely sitting in the seat across from me all year long. I am attempting to peek into “Johari’s Window” by evaluating my total self. Thus, I need to try to see my “blind self” that is seen by others, but not seen by me. I am not talking about my “public self”, which is seen by others or my “private self” (what I see and know). And yet, while what I can see and know that people see is an asset, I am also looking for things that are hidden: That which I can’t see because of where I stand, which is in front of the classroom. I am looking for things I need to work on and improve. From my view, I may think I am fair about grading, but if many of the kids say I am not on the evaluation, I have something to consider and fix! I can also apply this philosophy as a school leader, church leader, friend, wife, mother, and grandmother. Thus, I believe that surveys and checking in are good ways to evaluate, reflect, and look back. We can also be good listeners and soak in the positive and the things we need to work on!

Teachers are also making decisions and judgments almost every second. The pace is fast day-in and day-out! One must take the time to look back and consider how things went. The end of a quarter or unit is a good time to look back. Another good time to look back or look in is during and after a class, training, or workshop. What components do you incorporate currently, and which ones can you add? What does not line up with research? It’s like cleaning out your closets or doing spring cleaning. This idea can apply to a marriage workshop, relationship class, or enrichment course.

But wait a minute; I never talked about looking forward. This is when it gets exciting! This is the part of the journey where you get to make choices and decisions. You get to decide how to make it better! You are in the driver seat. In fact, that is where I am right now. I feel such a ball of energy welling up for all of the things I need to do to close out this schoolyear and get ready for the next! I have embraced change by reflecting and looking back, and now I am ready to move forward full steam ahead! I have posted goals on my desk for next year because I don’t want to forget my top-three school goals over the summer. I am also checking the stock of my overall soup. Change is in the air! A teacher’s job, a person’s job, a mother’s job, a friend’s job, a leader’s job, a _________ job’s (fill it in) is never done, but if one wants to move forward, they have to pause, reflect, and look back!