Task 2b 'journal writing experience'

I have tried to make writing my journal become a part of my day. They say it takes 14 days to create a habit - i've only been keeping mine for 10 days so perhaps it will become easier still! I started off writing it by hand but have now moved to the laptop - my hand writing is appalling and i can write more and faster using the computer! This made me think again about the internet, the web, how so little is written by hand now.

LIST. I have tried a couple of the different journal writing styles suggested within the handbook. I have always been a huge fan of lists; i use them regularly, when i feel like my workload is getting too much i find writing it down and prioritizing tasks makes everything seem more manageable. Seeing it written calms me down, rather than having 20 plus thoughts running through my mind! However i found that just listing events during my day was not detailed enough to reflect upon it so i began writing a small paragraph under each list, expanding on the initial points i had made, adding description. Therefore making the transition to a different style of journal writing - DESCRIPTIVE

I found this far better for reflecting as with more detail i could better evaluate upon my day. I could expand upon each point on the list, leading me to other thoughts and ideas. This seemed to also tie in with EVALUATION, as the descriptive writing, evaluated my initial thoughts in the list. Evaluating my day was something i found i was doing initially when starting to write my journal so is a style i will continue to use.

WHAT IF. I often find myself thinking what if, if i've had to make a big work decision about who to enter for exams, or what music to use for show or competition numbers, i often dwell on what if. What if i chose a different piece of music, what if this child improves significantly over the next few weeks, what if a child is upset by my decision, what if work colleagues don't agree with my decision? I was surprised when using the what if style of writing how much i dwell on things; how many what ifs i found and actually do consider normally ona  daily basis. I was aware that i am an anxious person but really noticed how much i worry about certain areas of my work when writing down all the different what ifs i had thought and the possible outcomes - often negative. I found this very useful for reflecting upon my work and practice, and hope to become less anxious and take a more what will be will be approach. I will definitely continue using this writing style but in an attempt to think more positively about how i teach and the decisions i make.

  ANOTHER VIEW. As a teacher there are always other views - the students you teach and the parents. I attempted to write last Thursday from a childs point of view due to how the rehearsal ran but found this difficult. I attempted the view of objects such as my ipod dock but found it more like i was making up a story! Interesting experiment but i didn't find it that helpful in reflecting upon my day.

I have not yet tried GRAPHS or DIAGRAMS. I always hated math at school and have never been a logical person - as mentioned earlier i prefer to write lists, but feel i should give this style a go and see how i get on - after reading other blogs it seems many have found this style very useful and a good visual way to reflect.

I feel as i continue writing my journal i will continue using lists, and then expanding upon the main points that have affected my day, evaluating them and reflecting upon the decision's I've made as my main style, as well as keeping an eye on my what ifs.