As the semester comes to a close, I want to reflect on the process of this free inquiry into mindfulness and what I’ve taken away from it.
Firstly, I appreciate being able to go through an inquiry process and better understand what that looks like in practice. One take-away I have from the process is that while inquiry is meant to give students more liberty in what and how they learn, inquiry should still require criteria, goals, and clear expectations. I think one aspect I sort of failed at in my inquiry is that I often let it be an after thought in my week, rather than perhaps taking it as seriously as I would a paper or an exam. That being said, I did enjoy this process more than those more traditional methods of assessment. If I were to undertake another inquiry I would set myself deadlines or goals of where I should be in my research and writing by a given point.
Additionally, I am very appreciative to had the opportunity to pursue mindfulness practices as a part of my educational journey, because I hope to implement them into my pedagogical practice. My major take-away from trying all these different mindfulness practices is that once I found one I enjoyed (yoga and nightly reading, in my case) it was so easy to implement in my day-to-day and the benefits were abundant. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I empathize deeply with the growing number of anxious students. Being able to cope with my own anxiety and provide advice and strategies to help students makes me feel better equipped to start my teaching career.
Mindfulness will look different for each person and even different on a daily basis for the same person. However, in my personal experience, it has been really enriching and helpful in fostering healthier all around habits. I have found this assignment overall to be helpful in providing strategies for my teaching, as well as to better understand how I learn.
