Parent Book Club #5 - Stopping to Reflect
Today we dive into Chapter 14 of Unschooling Rules entitled Create and use periods of reflection.
It’s amazing to think that many of us (myself especially!) have even had the idea to consider stopping to reflect on anything during my life. What a foreign idea, especially in the performance culture here in America. Today, I want to try and answer a couple more questions.
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Why are periods of reflection so important?
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What opportunities do children have to reflect while at summer camp?
My personal goal this year was to have 8 days of solitude. My friend and mentor Chris White challenged me with this goal early on in the year. To date, I’ve had maybe 1.5 full days of solitude, which are meant to give me ample space to think and reflect on what’s going on in life and what direction I need to be heading. Needless to say, why is this so hard for me? Especially considering the fact that every time I stop to reflect, I usually walk away with very significant progress on what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Here is some strong evidence of how valuable stopping to reflect has been in my own life (and I haven’t even scratched the surface). The last year or so, I’ve done my best to create a day of reflection before my wife and boys’ birthdays. During that time, I try and carve out as much time as I need to write them a birthday letter. I hope this is something they can look back on long after I’m gone and be encouraged. When I look back at what I actually wrote, it amazes me because I know had I not stopped to reflect, I never would have written any of it! I would have been a half-hearted message at best.
So the busier children are, the less they may actually be learning. – Clark Aldrich
At summer camp, and especially Camp Huawni, we create space so that campers have considerable time throughout their day to reflect. This could be walking to and from meals or activities, rest period, hiking silently through the woods, after lights out with just a journal and a flashlight, or after supper free time. At Camp campers are constantly given moments to stop and spontaneously reflect on all that has happened throughout their day.
School [or camp] days should have extensive downtimes— that is, stretches without scheduled activities and even without the context of impending homework. – Clark Aldrich
So why are periods of reflection so important? Because they lead to more focused direction in life, wiser future decisions, and paradoxically more productivity.
And what opportunities do children have to reflect while at summer camp? Campers have several moments throughout each day, which probably plays a big role in why Camp seems equivalent to 6 months of living the rest of the year.
How have you parents experienced reflection time and what came out of it?
