Have you taken the time out to reflect? Like, literally, have you taken the time to sit back and think about how far you have come, the lessons you have learned, the mistakes you have made, and all that you have been through so far on your homeschooling journey? If not, I want you to do it right after you get done reading this post about the amazing benefits of reflection.
Reflection is taking something into deep thought or consideration. As a public educator, I used self-reflection or reflective teaching as a tool to connect with my students by improving my lessons to be tailored to their needs. Some days I would record myself teaching a lesson. After school, I would sit down and watch the video and think about things that went well, things that did not go well, and how I could improve or reteach the lesson better. I would also seek advice from other teachers, coaches and leaders within the school. Taking the time to reflect was vital to my growth as a public educator. Some of the benefits of reflection I noticed as a teacher were:
help to build my confidence in my teaching style
help to increase self awareness
create engaging lessons for my students
create a positive learning environment and class culture
increase creativity
improve mood and mental state
Not only did I reflect as a teacher, but I also made sure my students took time to reflect as well. Benefits of student reflection:
increase student motivation
increase critical thinking skills and coping skills
increase student engagement in lessons
Students also need to take the time to reflect on their educational journeys to understand themselves as learners, learn from their mistakes, and continue growing and improving.
Additionally, As parents and home educators it is important that we take time to include reflection in our homes. Reflection is an important part of the journey for us and our children as we are learning and growing together. It is a time to bond with our children and be honest with ourselves as parents. It is the true type of love and accountability needed to stay encouraged and motivated on our journeys.
To get started, it can be as simple as answering writing prompts that reflect over how your week went, what went well, what did not go well, what can you improve, your parenting style and relationship with your child(ren) etc. It does not have to be a long drawn out process, but it should be intentional. If you do not want it to be a "boring" process for your family, you can always turn reflection time into a family game night! However, you decide to reflect is up to you, I just want to encourage you to do it so you can reap the benefits of this powerful yet underused tool for healing, growth, and improvement.
and remember we are never too old to learn, grow, reflect, and heal on our journeys.
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