Self-Reflection as a Path to Professional Learning

By Fenesha Hubbard

“Action without reflection leads to burn out. Reflection without action leads to cynicism.” —Albert Einstein

A lot of us are talking about equity as it relates to compliance, but the real work of operationalizing equity requires that we take a recursive look at ourselves. It is imperative that we engage in equity-focused self-reflection– a practice that will foster the fullest abilities of educators.

Reflection as a professional learning approach requires honesty and humility. Sometimes you aren’t aware of your true feelings about a thing until you experience it and have to react or respond. Attending to the work of equity means examining your actions, exploring your beliefs, and becoming aware of what drives your instruction and decision making.

My book, The Equity Expression: Six Entry Points for Nonnegotiable Academic Success, will help you center equity in teaching and learning, and it will position you to engage in deep reflection and dialogue. What makes the entry points framework so impactful is the focus on the individual teacher and helping them understand all the aspects of themselves that they bring into the classroom.?

Equity work demands our willingness to confront discomfort, mostly because our students have endured it for far too long. Growth begins at the end of our comfort zones, and when we reach the point where we can’t grow any further, then we’ve restricted the intellectual spaces to which our students can go. Let’s do this work on ourselves for our kids. They deserve the best of us.