progress

I finally finished creating and printing the "end of the year" booklet that I'm sending home for the students to fill out. It's titled "My Distance Learning Book" and includes pages to write and draw about different questions and prompts to reflect on this time of learning from home. It includes prompts like "ways that I was helpful," or a page on different feelings they may have had and another to reflect on when they practiced different life skills (truthfulness, relaxation, kindness etc.)

On my way to go and make copies I shared what I had made with my neighbor, a former teacher at our school, who made a comment referring to how few schools might ask questions like these of their students. Normally I would be observing my students and making my own notes about ways that they have learned and grown in this different areas throughout the term. This booklet came about as a way to try to capture their experience and growth this term in lieu of our usual progress reports.

In most schools progress is measured by how much you have achieved or accomplished academically which is primarily determined by tests. For our school though, we focus more on the energy and effort that was put forth in the learning process as well as the development of other important life skills. We also value and assess growth in all areas of their being (body, feeling, will and intellect) not merely their academic progress. 

It's interesting to reflect for ourselves how we define and measure our own progress or success. What areas in our lives are strong and which are areas that need more development? Where have we grown and where are we challenged? We are certainly not one-dimensional beings!

I'm realizing for myself that it's an ongoing process, that it's nearly impossible to focus on and improve on all these areas at once. But each one is connected and affects the others and as we grow and strengthen in one area we move toward greater balance and inner harmony. 

For our students, we look at who they are, what their unique strengths and weaknesses are, and assess their growth based on where they started not by some external standard or arbitrary goal. Each of us is on our own unique journey and learning and growth is going to look different for each of us.