I was fortunate to be published in the Spring 2016 edition of the Delta Kappa Gamma Collegial Exchange. The piece was titled, “Finding My Teacher Voice: Why I Became a Blogger.” I was intrigued by the idea that blogging doesn’t just come as second nature to all teachers. In the article, I explain how I had felt a sense of responsibility about writing after having a conversation with a young teacher about her nervousness at expressing her opinions on the profession. I note
“It became very clear to me in that moment that if I believed teachers should be speaking up for students and inserting their voices into every realm of the education profession, I needed to model that belief and behavior. I started looking everywhere for opportunities to write…I basically became the most frantic writer on the planet. I wrote instructional pieces, advocacy pieces, pieces about grant writing, pieces about my personal feelings about the profession, and informational pieces about issues in the field.”
This morning, I came across a blog post on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website titled, “The Reasons Why I Blog,” by Jennifer Dines. Her post made me think of my own writing and the article in the Collegial Exchange.
She specifies three reasons why she blogs:
- Blogging makes my voice visible.
- Blogging allows me to initiate the conversations I want to be having.
- Blogging allows me to talk back, correcting misconceptions about the professional practice of teaching.
I like her reasoning. I also admire that she admits feeling personally attacked with the negativity that surrounds the profession in the media and with policy-makers in her hometown.
I hope you will take time to read her short post. (Unfortunately, the article I wrote requires a membership password. That is why I supplied a snipet of it above.)
Dines’ post about blogging made me think of my own experiences and my attempt to share how I feel about blogging in the article I wrote. It also made me wonder what real teachers and educators really think about teacher-bloggers. So, I am asking you!
What do you think about teacher-bloggers?
Leave a comment. I’d love to write another post sharing your thoughts.
Amanda Koonlaba is an elementary art teacher in Tupelo, MS. She is a contributor to MSEdBlog. Her views are her own and do not represent the views of any other entity.