This is an extract taken from my written journal based on the Reid and Moon framework. I have made a conscious decision to share this and so therefore I have altered it in doing so.
As David Boud (English and Gillen 2001) states
The conditions under which journal writing takes place can have a powerful influence on what is produced and the extent to which writers can engage in critical reflection. If journals are to be used in courses, great care needs to be taken about how they relate to assessed work. In general, reflective activities should be distinguished from those graded.
I guess today wasn’t a particularly busy day in terms of what I do professionally, but I thought I’d choose today as it’s a week on from my Video Journal based on the Reid and Moon framework, so the day has a similar structure to last week.
I spent the morning looking through my grade 4 ISTD modern theatre syllabus book revising the exercises in preparation for my class tomorrow. I spent the afternoon in Chiswick teaching musical theatre to reception and year 1.
I felt un-rested this morning when I woke but ploughed through the exercises I needed to recap fairly quickly without it feeling too much of a chore as it usual does. I wasn’t looking forward to the journey to west London and it had been in the back of my mind all morning but the sun was shining and so I pushed it to the back of my thoughts.
Once I’d overcome the dread of the journey I was keen to get stuck into the class as last week I was left feelings slightly deflated and confused as to why our class felt so out of control and disorganised. I needed to rearrange these negative thoughts in my mind as this would lead to the class continually feeling an effort.
We prepared for the class briefly after we had cleared up the confusion as to where it would be taking place. We both equality prepped the class as this was something I thought needed to be done after last week’s conflict. We discussed who would set up the dance, song etc and then started the class. I think something unexpected definitely happened in our working relationship and this week instead of leaving worrying about my other teachers, teaching methods I learnt something from her. Last week I was left in such a confused state that it was a real shock to find myself smiling at learning a new tool from a teacher I had lost hope in.
What worked was that I didn’t just sit back and let one teacher take control of a lesson, we balanced the teaching and set ups equally, the children had clear instructions and were no longer confused as to what to do, as I mentioned in my video journal last week clarity is so important in teaching. The children understood the instructions, knew the boundaries and so felt safe in a fun creative environment. I was somewhat relieved as I had predicted that the class would take a similar turn to last week.
I think I learnt not to pre-empt events and expect the worst and to learn from difficult situations, to put aside negative thoughts and not let them overcome you as this will affect you throughout the day.
Each week you notice a child get up and talk or dance or do a task by themselves. It is hugely rewarding to see the under confident children slowly participating and growing over time. I sometimes feel that teaching is like a show; I play several different characters and take the audience/class on a journey. I inspire, surprise, shock and make them laugh. So by the end I’m left feeling pretty exhausted. I think the arts play a huge part in the development of a child’s confidence, attention and co-ordination.
A friend of mine once indirectly criticised my profession. What can dance do for you in society? It’s not a real job and so on. I remember feeling so angry, I felt I needed to justify my job and prove to him that my professional had a place. He studied politics and what strikes me now is he had absolutely no social skills. I think to a certain degree that politicians play a role, they present speeches to the world and assure as in their decisions. I don’t know why I have just thought about this but I no longer feel the need to justify my profession, I just feel sad that he doesn’t have the confidence to make a difference and progress and maybe if he had been actively involved in the arts he would.
If I looked at my day from my bags point of view I think it would probably tell me to get on with the journey and stop making it such a huge obstacle in my mind. I’m already thinking about Wednesday with dread and it’s only Monday. Everyone travels. There is something about being away from home that makes me feel slightly uneasy.
List
· Tea
· Disappointment
· Water
· Embarrassment
· Spring
· bike
· sun
When asking myself this question on my video journal, it was really bizarre that London buses where the first thing to come to mind, because I think subconsciously I was fretting about moving to Brentwood but hadn’t even mentioned this anywhere in my written journal.
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