3 M’s- My Action Plan Reflection

My action plan was driven by the simple action of walking in their shoes– our student’s shoes to be specific. After stepping back and being a student in the Cohort 21 environment, I was driven to explore ways in which we can help students manage the overwhelming feeling experienced in the classroom when faced with a challenge; this, in turn, has allowed me to explore ways to encourage students to find their voice in the classroom. There was a moment (many moments!) where I felt the overwhelming feeling of “this is a lot!” during a F2F session, one that many of our students feel potentially all too often. I knew how to deal with this feeling, but I couldn’t help but think “Do they?”. This was my “Ah-HA” moment that drove me to explore how we minimize this feeling and allow them to truly love learning.

Through F2F sessions and reaching out to the Cohort 21 community, I was able to create my “Action Plan Toolkit” which I was able to use to tackle my action.

With these tools in hand, I was able to take action and learn A LOT. This has not been without failure, of course, and learning to accept this. I set out many goals for myself to accomplish this year and I did not complete them all…and that is okay. This is something that has been difficult for me to accept; however, I draw my attention back to how much I have also gained and that is where my focus remains.

As I said, I learned a lot about my students but also about myself as an educator and an individual making this the most meaningful professional development experience I have taken part in.

Mindfulness became an essential component of my action plan, which I will continue to explore and use in my classroom. I began my practice of mindfulness in my grade 11 class but it has now become a desired part of my grade 7 and 9 classes. Student buy-in was not automatic but as I continued to find new ways to make mindfulness meaningful to their lives, students began asking my favourite question, “What time is mindfulness at today?”. Not only were they more mindful of their needs, but I became more mindful in my teaching. More mindful of my speech, my language, my body language, and my time. I am eager to continue this practice moving forward in my teaching career.

… which leads me to more. I cannot wait for more. More mindfulness moments, more students having a voice in the classroom in order to advance their learning and truly love being in the classroom. More collaboration with colleagues and members of the Cohort 21 community, as sharing our experience is one of our strongest tools as educators. The more we explore our curiosity, the more great that can happen, for our students and for us.

Want to see more? Here is my final Slide Deck: