Me, the unique jigsaw puzzle
Photo by Lathika Vithanage
We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience. - John Dewey
What a great card to pick today! Today I will give my first AT lesson to a new student as a newly graduated teacher.
But how can I prepare for this lesson? How can I give this person the 'perfect' Alexander technique experience so that they learn something today?
This quote reminds me of the mind body unity that is central to the Alexander technique. While, in my opinion, it has therapeutic benefits, it is not a therapeutic method where a student passively receives treatment. Instead the student has experiences which challenge not just the physical structures of the body but also the reasons why they may do things the way they do. Over time, in a safe environment, it can lead to profound reflections challenging the very core beliefs that a person has built themselves upon.
I am grateful to be reminded to encourage my student to reflect on the experiences we make in the classroom as we go. I am reminded that she herself is a unique jigsaw puzzle searching for her own missing pieces that she will process in her own time in her own way.
LESSON TAKES PLACE
So I come back to this reflection after giving the lesson and needless to say it was not perfect and I am having doubts about what happened and how much I could/should have done differently.
But I think that is the greatest gift of this quote today. It brings it back to me. I am reminded that the best preparation I could do for this lesson is to honour and trust in the learning process I have undertaken these past five years, and in fact my whole life. I haven't successfully memorised any information, I haven't read all the books, I don’t necessarily remember all the moves, but in my search for my own missing jigsaw puzzle pieces, I have had experiences that I reflect on and that are integrated into my being and make it possible for me to offer this lesson today. And maybe that's enough for now.
The other thing I can absolutely trust is that this is just another valuable experience that I will reflect upon and learn so much from. There is no endpoint to this learning!
Journaling prompts: What have your past experiences with education been like? How do you prepare for doing your job and what does this say about your beliefs? What are some of the greatest things you learnt from reflecting on unideal experiences?
