A Random Musing (Blog Post #6)

As we near the end of the course, I realize I've had very little time to actually reflect on my learning. The two courses I took this semester were a bit too intense to take at the same time. Although I made it (yay!), I feel like I missed out on a very important part of this program: reflection. In my other courses, I always found time to reflect on my learning and dive a bit deeper into the readings. However, this time I felt rushed and overwhelmed, leaving very little room for reflection.

This makes me think of our present obstacles as teachers: lack of time leaves very little room for reflection. When we are overwhelmed with immediate tasks, we push the seemingly unimportant things to the side. This happens with our health too. Usually, when things get busy at work or at home, the first thing to lose priority is our exercise and diet. It's not necessarily that we don't see these things as important, but the immediacy and urgency is just not there. With deadlines and tasks that need to be done, it can be hard to prioritize even the things you consider deeply important.

So, this brings me to a question I have for my peers (as teachers and students)... is it possible to shift from our mindsets of immediate gratification and urgency to a more reflective mindset? What tools can we use to achieve this? As someone who meditates and does yoga, I used to think the answer was "Yes, yes, certainly yes!" but I am beginning to see this as a very real challenge to our busy, modern day lives.

How can we make reflection a priority amidst the chaos of tasks, deadlines, and to-dos?