Mirrors & Windows
One of the important gifts we lost with the influx of portable technology in our lives, is the beneficial use of the down time at our disposal. Before we had cell phones at our disposal, we had time to pause, think, and reflect. We could do this while waiting for a train or bus, while sitting in doctor’s reception room, while driving, or when taking a flight, for example. There were many useful gaps of time that we were able to maximize and use to plan our personal growth. Now, instead of doing any deep thinking and planning, we pull out our phones to check and respond to emails and texts, we check the latest news and sports, or we communicate about trivialities on WhatsApp or Instagram. Thus, to a large degree we have lost the precious opportunity to do personal reflection.
When I think of reflection, I obviously think of a mirror. Mirrors are designed for the purpose of reflecting back to us our own true image. Do we not often peer deeply into the mirror, sometimes surprised to see how we actually look? We note the new grey hairs, the added wrinkles, the receding hairlines. Reflection and paying honest attention to our reflection informs us who we actually are. Personal Reflection actually serves the same purpose, except that we gaze at ourselves in our mirror from within, removing all the filters and misconceptions we have held on to. We need to reflect and wonder what we could have done better, what is working and what is not, what changes can be made, how can I become a better person.
For one to be considered a professional educator, I believe one must constantly be engaged in professional reflection. One needs to think about the lesson, the unit, the episode, the day, and the relationships with students and colleagues. As when peering directly into your own bathroom mirror, an educator needs to peer into one’s professional activities and ask oneself deep and important questions.
Did I plan effectively?
Did I meet the needs of all my students?
Did my lesson plan go well? What should/could I have done differently?
What would I have done differently?
Were there colleagues I could have inspired?
Was I as inspiring as I could have been?
What are the skills that I know are still underdeveloped?
In order to be a growing, inspiring, true educator that models life-long growth and self-improvement, one must find time to engage in these activities, perhaps on your ride home or some quiet time in the evening.
We need, at times, to not only do our thinking by looking into the mirror of our minds but also the windows of our mind. Windows are not designed to reflect back but rather to look out. We look beyond our space and gaze out to see new possibilities that perhaps we were not even aware of. Looking outward means raising the bar for ourselves, seeing new possibilities, and being forward thinking. While reflection helps us learn from the past, looking out enables us to set goals for the future. We can ask,
What new skills can I learn?
Who can inspire me to grow?
What books or lectures should I read or listen to?
What goals, dreams, and inspirations can I develop and plan for?
Teachers can reach higher degrees of productivity, effectiveness, satisfaction, and influence if they build these “mirrors” and “windows” into their lives and set designated times each day and week to make use of these personal growth strategies.
