I think that allot of people have a hard time reflecting because it is not something that is really valued or encouraged in today's society. The American Culture is all about go go go and getting things done. We never really seem to take the time to just sit back and think through and reflect how we feel about a particular issue or event that has happened. I think that this is something that our culture could benefit allot from because I think that too often people make rash and rushed decisions without first reflecting on and thinking about how their actions may have certain consequences. I think that reflection to some extent however is different on college campuses because college learning is centered allot upon exploring the deeper meanings of issues. Also, although students are busy with school, that is the only thing that they are busy with (for the most part), unlike the "real world" And college encourages students to think critically about the world around them, in fact I think that is one of the main and central goals of college learning. However when we get out into the "real world" this is not really the case. We are no longer in our college bubble and no longer have discussion groups or profs to guide us to think critically and take the time to reflect. In the work profession (whatever it may be) I think it is rare for companies to encourage their employees sit back and think about life and the beauty of the day. I think that reflection is important in any job, but it is especially important in the teaching profession. Without taking the time to reflect back on a lesson and the day in general how will you discover what you did right and what you could improve upon? So I think that reflection is something that all people should work at and get into the habit of doing. I think however that there is no right or wrong way to reflect, as long as you simply take the time to do so. I will be the first to admit that I have not been the best at staying up to date on my blogging for ed psych... this however does not mean that I do not reflect on what I have learned. I am a very reflective person but I am not the type of person that just loves sitting down and writing. I am a very high energy person with a very low attention span and need to constantly be doing something active and so best time for reflection for me is when I am able to be active. I do some of my best thinking when I am running, biking, hiking, skating or any physical activity were I can let my body be active and free and let my mind wonder to whatever topic it pleases. I actually just got done working out right before I wrote this blog and I think because I just worked our and am now slightly tired (a good, content tired) I am able to more easily concentrate on getting down what I want to say. This may also be because working out gave me a time to think about things and not be distracted. Well that is something to keep in mind, I guess I will save my blogging (and papers for that matter) for after a workout. Although writing down how I feel is not one of my stronger points it doesnt mean that I dont think back on my day. I do however think that written reflection could become a habit and easier the more I do it, like many other things in life. And there is an added bonus of being able to look back at what you have written that cannot be done if you reflect in a way other than writing.
