Recently, my Facebook feed has been littered with posts from
people about things that occurred one, two, or more years prior. “On this day
one year ago” photos pop up, accompanied by comments like, “Hard to believe
this was just one year ago,” “I forgot about this, “ “Wow, we’ve all changed so
much,” “I was such an idiot then,” or, “Can you believe we were so concerned
about that?”
People are drawn to moments from their past that contrast to
their present selves. “Throwback Thursday” photos often have the added purpose
of highlighting the fashion and style atrocities of yesteryear with the
implicit idea that we all look so much better now that we have the sense not to
wear those parachute pants or style our hair in that once-fashionable
mullet.
The end of an academic year is an ideal time to have a
Throwback Thursday of our own, to ask our students to project themselves back
nine months into the past to see how they’ve grown and changed as a result of
being in our classes. What do you know now that you didn’t know in September?
What can you do now that you couldn’t do at the beginning of the school year?
If you had it to do over again, what might you do differently?
This type of reflection belongs in the review weeks at the
end of the school year. Ask students to create a graffiti wall displaying what
they’ve learned. Have them compare a sample of recent work to a similar
assignment from the beginning of school. Brainstorm a list of everything they
wouldn’t know if they hadn’t taken your class. Let them reflect in writing
about how far they’ve come, the obstacles they encountered along the way, and
how they dealt with them. Encourage them to make some notes for themselves for
next year so they don’t drive into any of the same potholes later.
Goal setting is a key aspect of instruction in our AVID
classes as it should be in all our classes. Equally important is the time to
look back at where we’ve been, celebrate our progress, and redirect our focus
to the future.
Like the Roman god Janus with two faces—one looking forward
and one looking back—we use our past experiences to steer ourselves
successfully toward what is to come.
Thanks for all you do to help your AVID kids (and all your
kids) make impressive strides on the road to success.
Craig
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