reflection

It's something that I am going to have to learn how to do.

Be a reflective practitioner.

It's not so much hindsight, more looking at what has happened, think it through, mull it over.

Schonn had a theory to reflect in action and to reflect on action.  The latter being the easier one to learn how to do, while the former takes experience and time to develop.

All slightly differing tools of the trade.

Reflective thought

One of the classes that I'm taking has us 'reflecting' back on situations and today was no different.
My sister was visiting last week.
This was the first time that I'd been able to book a Friday night with her, normally she makes other plans. But last Friday, I took her dancing.
I made sure we arrived in time for the beginner's class, so that she'd have some basic knowledge of what kind of dancing I do. When we were 16, she had learned how to do 50's Jive, something that really didn't interest me, so I assumed that she'd pick this up quickly.
Part of the way through the beginner freestyle, DC arrived. I introduced them.
I was happy to have her see what had become such an important part of my life, my dancing and to meet DC.
What I didn't see and what he observed, was how my sister suddenly became very dominant and how I stood back and let her.
DC and I talked about this on Tuesday and I told him that I didn't feel the need to be dominant. This was my comfort place, with people I liked, doing what I liked. I was sharing with her. I didn't feel threatened by her presence, in fact I welcomed it. I wanted her to see how well I was doing, show her my dancing, let her participate in it.
I felt that I had reached another level in our 'twin-ness', that we were progressing.
Hurrah!

The odd thing about today, was that Dragon Lady more or less described exactly this scenario with regards to what was happening within my class. I was not just reflecting back, I was also seeing a reflection.

Juggling a balance

One of the things that we, as a class, are being asked to do, is keep a reflective diary.
And so, after checking with my tutor about it, I decided to keep this blog as my journal.
Not sure how often I've mentioned this, but in September, I became a full-time student, again.
I'm doing an Access course, which has been designed for mature students and people who have been out of education for some time and bring them back up to speed, in order for them to go on to do a degree.
This is me.
It's perfect for me.
Except that there is homework.
**Cringe**
One of my major challenges has been to juggle homework, housework, Child's homework, Child's school run, my school run, Child's after school activities and my two solitary nights out. Gone are the lovely morning yoga sessions or my weekly Alexander Technique class. Now it's three days of 'out by 7.40am and back by 5.15pm' and two days of 'out by 8.30am and back by 5.30pm'. It's only for one year and then hopefully I'll be going to a Uni much closer to me, but OMG, this is knackering me. I am not willing to give up my two nights of dancing, as I don't have college on either following morning, but I am tired by Saturday. Sunday morning will find me in bed with a coffee and Child on the couch watching breakfast telly.
I'm eating well and have been healthy for the last twelve months, so obviously something within the changes that I made a year ago, has worked.
Looking back on the last three months, I think that I have been able to reach a balance, fulfilling all the different aspects of my current life. But I do worry about my Child, about her ability to keep up with everything that she has to do and whether its too much to ask of her.
I only hope that we can manage to maintain this pace until the end of the school year without collapsing in a heap of exhaustion.
Roll on the summer hols!!!