Catasauqua High School Principal Adam Schnug was a recent guest speaker on Virtual School Assembly - a new virtual platform created to bring mini assemblies to kindergarten through 12th-grade students who are learning from home.

Show host Tyler Christensen is a fifth-grade teacher who created VSA after he was asked to teach from home during the COVID-19 outbreak in March. Christensen saw a need to share messages of inspiration, hope and encouragement with his students, so he started reaching out to celebrities and professional speakers to do just that.

In his VSA interview, Schnug talked about the value of self-reflection.

Schnug reflected on his own experience as a student. It was while he was in college that he discovered self-reflection and used it to understand what he needed to do to accomplish his goals and see personal growth.

Consequently, through self-reflection, Schnug experienced an increase in confidence. He became more driven and focused as a student, and his grades and student engagement improved.

In his profession, he counsels students to “not compare yourself to anyone” when they are doing self-reflection.

“Reflection is a practice. It’s something you’re going to have to do over and over again,” Schnug said. “The more you practice, the better you get at it.”

Schnug explained regularly engaging in self-reflection improves recall - or the ability to remember reflections, experiences, moments and challenges.

“This is especially critical for students who are trying to build a foundation of knowledge that will serve them as they progress from high school to college and beyond,” Schnug said.

The presentation concluded with Schnug dropping a challenge to all students and teachers learning from home. He encouraged students to “reflect on how your lives have changed as a result of COVID-19.” He reminded us “we’ve gotten through this” and when future challenges arise, we can move forward with confidence, knowing we can overcome great challenges and uncertainty.

VSA now has more than 40 episodes, with a new one posted each school day. Guests include Hollywood actors, professional athletes, world-class entertainers, speakers and exceptional educators. The speakers have shared messages of overcoming great obstacles, living in times of uncertainty, how to stay physically and mentally strong and how to develop new skills while preparing for the new normal.

To view Schnug’s episode, visit virtualschoolassembly.com/adam-schnug. See more episodes of Virtual School Assembly at youtube.com/c/VirtualSchoolAssembly.