You’ll have seen us promoting our Reflection Journal, our resource that took off with a roar last year, and has been refreshed and revamped for a new 2020 edition. We genuinely love our journal - it is unique, and useful, and has The Heart School ‘written all over it’. Though in fact, the real beauty of it is that while our messages are strongly in there, it is actually YOU writing all over it, with your thoughts, ideas, ponderings and wonderings.
YOU take the active role, using what we offer as the spark - for keeping heart-centredness ‘on top’ during your day to day practice, and also for reflecting deeply on how you are with the children in your care.
We really have created something that turns reflections from a ‘job’ to a joy.
Now here’s the thing that could be misconstrued - we say joy, because we’ve turned a stale process into something far more inspired. We say joy because when we create a ritual around sitting and taking time on this inward journey it’s like a gift to ourselves, even as we better our practice for others.
So joy it is.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
We haven’t created a journal that’s a ‘doddle’, another fast way to put a tick in a box. Sure, you could use it that way: read the statement, put a tiny bit of thought into what that means to you, write it down, hey presto, you’re done.
Is that really reflection?
Or is that simply recording?
We urge you to go deeper, go beyond the surface and see reflection as THE tool for your growth. Enjoy the process of getting curious, not just thinking about what you do, but why, the ‘back story’ to how you got to that place, who or what has played an influence, what are the barriers to changing perspectives or moving forward. It’s easy to pat ourselves on the back, it’s a little more challenging to say, “I could really infuse far more of that into my days”. And more challenging again to then take action.
But isn't the challenge part of the joy? We shouldn't be going for 'easy' if we truly put our heart into our work. Heart work can also be hard work, but it is worth the effort. Worth the time investment, worth pushing out our comfort zones and stretching our 'reflection wings'.
So the Reflection Journal is not for a surface approach, but it does take what isn't exactly easy, and makes it a little easy-er. And a whole lot more fun.
How?
Firstly, it's beautiful so it calls to us and is a companion we actually want to spend time with.
Next, it's inspiring.
The messages in it are meaningful. They make us want to look more closely, to put them into our own lived experiences and context so we can make even more sense of them.
And perhaps one of the biggest strengths of our journal is it helps us with one the trickiest parts of this 'heart-centred business' - keeping the heart on top, not letting it bogged down under all of the 'other' that is expected of us.
This isn't once-a-year goal setting, but DAILY words to lift and spark us. It is weekly recording, and monthly rev ups, all year long. We get to unpack our beliefs and unpick our practices to our heart's content. And trust us, this way of teaching, the reflecting on OUR behaviour and responses more than the children's, that does make the heart content. It is a beautiful way to be.
'Not easy' shouldn't scare us. It should light us up. Aren't we as much a learner as our children?
We urge you to take what inspires you in our mantras, but don’t just take what is comfortable. Gently shake yourself up. Forget easy, leave safe at the door. What is actually going to serve you, and help those that you serve? Finding you have 'a ways to go' might feel temporarily scary, but who wants a stale career? Don't we want to grow with our children?
Having areas for improvement doesn't mean you are 'less than'. It means you're real, and honest, and striving for more than 'fine'.
The journal isn't a 'measure up' style that makes you feel you do on don't qualify. There are no scales or standards to meet - purely inspirations to go inward, to soak up what we're offering but serve it up YOUR way, and use YOUR heart standards to keep you moving and growing on the heart path.
Children deserve the best of us, so they deserve 'the us' who puts easy aside, reflects deeply, and grows from what is discovered. With our Reflection Journal on hand, its mantras in mind, and our heart fully on board, then reflection and this whole journey of keeping the heart at the heart of teaching IS still a challenge, but in the absolutely best (and most joy filled) sense of the word.