Hate is a strong word, but geez I hate being forced to reflect on a year.
When somebody asks me, “So, how was your 2024, Adam?” I can never seem to find the right words to cram a year’s work into a few sentences. I’m not even sure what the point of that exercise would be.
And then there’s the fact that it’s December and this vague reflective exercise doesn’t sound much like fun anyway.
I’d like to make my final Home Truth of the year fun and more purposefully reflective for you. The below questions might even be a discussion over a soothing beverage to celebrate the end of the year.
Instead of, “How was your year?” how about weask each other:
- If this year’s work was a movie/series, what would that movie be and who would be the cast? (For the record, my wife Anthea is convinced that I’m Roy Kent from Ted Lasso. When my Siri responded as we watched an ep one evening, it was hard to argue!)
- How do you think your students would respond to the question, “How was your teacher this year?”
- What work task or activity did we spend the most time on this year?
- If I was a parent, would I read the report that just went home with my child?
- When the going gets tough in our school, what happens?
- What’s happening in our school that nobody is brave enough to talk about?
- If our school had a personality, what would it be?
- Who is the famous person you’d love to show around your school and boast to?
- Which student would likely make the most useful contribution if invited to a staff meeting?
You see, the thing about reflection is that most of us do it to either judge or summarise. Better reflection is for adjustment and conversation.
And it might as well be fun too.
Keep fighting that good fight,
P.S.To every one of you working out there to better our kids’ lives and our country’s future through education, I want to say thank you. Have a wonderful and well-earned break. See ya in 2025.
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