It is the end of my first year of teaching, and I am in a reflective mood. The art of “reflection” was one heavily mocked in my professional college. It seemed as though every assignment in the College of Education involved some kind of reflection. Students of other colleges dismissed the idea as elementary. Do something useful, then reflect on it, then reflect on that reflection, etc. The process began to resemble an infinite sequence. It wasn’t until the reflections were no longer forced, that I found value in the process.
My year began in chaos. I was hired to teach for a division, but not told where to report until 10 PM the night before staff re-gathered across the city. On 10 hours notice, I went to the school and began my career. They had no classes, students, or space for me. I slowly carved out a niche that included all three. Until this process was complete, I co-taught with 4 different teachers. In this hectic time, I had no time for preparation or archiving. Reflecting on that experience rehashed a very valuable activity I co-taught with a colleague in Mathematics 9.