I tried.

I failed.

I am trying again.

I will succeed.

Until I fail again.

One of my biggest disappointments last year was my dropping the ball with our Journey Journals. Long story. Quit making a priority a priority. Time got on. Never got back to it. And just like that a priority became a memory. Kind of a painful one. So now I will seek to do better. Here’s the plan.

Tried to keep it simple and straightforward. One thing I have discovered is that it takes many kids awhile to warm up to the reflective mode, especially when it comes to getting them to move beyond the “what” of things. I want them to get to the “so what” and “now what” of things in their entries. I will offer support and practice patience. I will present my “Story Stems” again this year to help them get started down their reflective routes.

Of note, perhaps, is that this year I will include their Journey Journals as part of the select-and-support grading process. Admittedly, this is a bit uncomfortable for me, as I do not want it to create compliance. As you know, I have little interest in that path. I prefer to travel down the commitment path. I don’t want kids to reflect because they have to. I want kids to reflect because they want to, because they see the value it adds to their learning. So I will keep my eyes wide open to this as we journey forth. I will not give points. I will not penalize for missing entries. I will leverage commitment by engaging the kids about their reflections, both formally and informally. I will also leverage their commitment by pointing to the fact that we have no homework, only school work, and as part of their commitment, I expect them to work when they are at school, when they are in my class. Reflecting is at the center of our work…well, at least that’s the goal.

I am not using notebooks this year. Instead, I am using sheets. I know this may seem a bit old school, but I think it will make it more manageable and efficient. Why not digitally? Thought about it. But the reality remains: we still don’t have continual, immediate access to tech, so I am going with paper. Here’s the template we will use.

We do. We reflect. We do better. This is my next better with Journey Journals. It’s all I can do until I come to my next, next better.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.