Anchor Competency Focus: “Foster Self-Reflection”

“Pause, Refuel, and Reimagine”

One of our Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child (CRTWC) colleagues recently shared that when she decided as a college undergrad to become a high school teacher, one of the first responses she often would hear from others is “Wow, you will have the summers off!”. There is still a myth that as educators we have a full three months of leisure time. The reality is the summer vacation often feels as if it is getting shorter every year. In many communities, the new school year will begin in July. We hope you have had time this summer to ‘catch your breath, to exhale, and to embrace the moments.

Pause…
Research on the importance of self-care resonates with a clear message – you cannot take care of others if you do not first take care of yourself. One of the guiding goals of the Anchor Competency Framework “resilience and a sense of optimism” is grounded in the notion that we must prioritize our own well-being as educators so that, ultimately, we can support the well-being of our students. 

The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) offers a variety of science based insights for a meaningful life and practices for cultivating well-being and resilience. For our last CRTWC retreat, we engaged in one of the practices offered by GGSC, “Three Good Things” as pre-work for the retreat. Prior to the retreat, we each listened to a podcast focused on the science and practice of “savoring the positive in our lives” and in the week leading up to the retreat, we all engaged in the “Three Good Things” practice. The practice involves writing down three good things that happen each day and reflecting on why those things happened. At the retreat, we shared some of the things that we had observed and written down, as well as some of our take-aways from this practice. Our team found that, although this practice may seem simplistic, taking time to be aware of the things in our lives that bring us joy can help ground us and support our well-being. Additionally, when members of our team did this practice, they felt it became easier each day to identify the good things in their days. As we cultivate mindfulness or awareness towards things that feel good in our lives or bring us joy, it can help to create an upward spiral of joy in our lives (Fredrickson, 2013). 

The role of the educator can often be a whirlwind of ‘things to do’. Consider, “how do you pause and find time to notice the joy in your life? How do you take a moment to recommit to your self-care?” Maybe you can begin by creating a short list of practices or moments during the day when you can pause or identify joy. Put this list somewhere you can see it throughout the day as a reminder. We also invite you to listen to the Three Good Things podcast, which begins with an invitation for participants to consider –“Do you take the good things in life for granted? You’re not alone, and studies show it’s very human. But here’s a way to find more joy in the everyday.” We celebrate practices that nurture your capacity to ‘pause’ – to find ‘joy’, to grow resilience and to embrace optimism. For us as educators, our ‘summer’ seems like a perfect time to pause and exhale!

For more on building positive emotions and the benefits check out this TED Talk by Barbara Fredrickson. 

Refuel…
Reflection is an essential element of an iterative process for developing a Social, Emotional, and Cultural lens – an element that needs to be embedded into teacher preparation with a focus on helping teachers to examine their assumptions and beliefs. Reflection is also an opportunity to ‘refuel’ and examine your overarching goals – the Anchor Competencies Framework can serve as a starting point for this. It is also important to recognize your growth and recommit to your professional and personal growth mindset. What practices have you found support your internal dialogue and realignment to your core beliefs? What excites you and motivates you as you consider a new beginning with the school year on the horizon? The school year cycle affords us as educators to begin anew. We invite you in your reflective process to consider the Anchor Competencies Framework Goals:

• A safe and supportive learning environment

• Equity in Teaching and learning

• Resilience and a sense of optimism

• Academic success

• Responsibility for the greater good 

Reexamining your ‘why’ for the work often strengthens and reinforces your energy, passion and commitment. The Anchor Competency Framework serves as a roadmap towards meeting the goals listed as its center. Through reflection, as educators, we can begin to ‘reimagine’ our practices and strategies in order to meet the goals we have set for ourselves, teachers, and students. 

Reimagine…
There is often extraordinary excitement about the beginning of a new school year. Students and families can be found looking for the perfect back to school items – backpacks, clothing, and notebooks. On social media, many families post pictures of their children as they share the ‘first day of school’ benchmark pictures. The news media highlights suggestions from experts on how to have a great school year. Activities for welcoming teachers and administrators to the new school year are often filled with discussions about district and school goals and focus areas. It is a time of ‘reimagining’ the opportunities of a new year.How have you reimagined this new school year?

The foundational or ‘super skill’ of the Anchor Competencies Framework is building trusting relationships. To reimagine how you want to build trusting relationships, consider building upon what you already do well and consider adding one new way to build trusting relationships this year that you feel you have the capacity to explore and that matches your desire to grow in this area. As you consider the elements of the Anchor Competencies Framework, it may also serve as a tool for reimagining your educational setting. As educators, our sphere of influence can be a palpable and powerful space. We invite you to revisit “Teaching with the Social, Emotional, and Cultural Lens” (Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020) to consider integrating the framework in your practice as an educator.

Welcome Back to School and the 2024-2025 year!

In ‘Joy” for the Work….

The CRTWC Team