Today I had a conversation — a really good and honest discussion with someone that I highly respect. As I was talking to this individual, I had an aha moment about our class blog. Last week, I spoke at our Board’s Rewired Conference about using technology to engage parents. Our class blog is one major way that we do this, and our Daily Shoot Blog Posts probably engage parents most of all. While these posts also highlight our daily documentation and lead to our plans for subsequent days (pedagogical documentation), there’s another reason that I’m passionate about writing these blog posts: they are great for my own mental well-being.
Teaching is a wonderful profession. It’s all that I’ve ever wanted to do. I love working with children, and nothing makes me more genuinely happy than seeing students succeed. And it’s not just the easy successes, but also the thrill of the challenge: helping a child that’s struggled, or watching a child that continues to try and fail, and then, with perseverance, succeeds. I definitely feel very lucky to do what I love every single day of the year.
That said, teaching can also be a challenge. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes I wish I could do more. Sometimes I’d like a do-over. Some days, I ask for one. And on some days when I’m feeling sad or stressed, it’s writing the Daily Shoot Blog Post that turns things around for me. It reminds me of the great things that happened each day.
- The new learning.
- The funny moments.
- The rich discussions.
- The problem solving: some that worked, some that didn’t, and what we learned from both.
And sometimes we all need these good reminders to help us make it through the harder times.
I now think that a daily blog post engages me as much as the parents and makes me excited about coming back and learning more the next day. How do you look back and remember the good things that happened each day? What impact, if any, do you think this has on you? I think that we can all use some “great” in our lives.
Aviva
Aviva,
If/when I go back to the classroom this is something I think I want to make a part of my day. Depending on the grade I would love to do it as a shared writing experience.
I agree that taking time to truly reflect on the day and find even that one nugget of positive can make all the difference. So too, I found, was having a debrief chat after school with my teaching partner. In my current role I don’t have that, at least not on a regulat basis and I miss that connection and perspective.
Ultimately we all need to take the time to reflect, evaluate and adjust out planning in order to meet student needs. It keeps that passion flowing and anyway to further engage parents – all the better!
Sarah
Thanks for the comment, Sarah! What an important point. I’m glad you mentioned about debriefing with your teaching partner. My partner and I do this all the time — sometimes even throughout the day — and this is so important. We’re not only here to support each other, but ultimately, to support the students.
Aviva
P.S. Sometimes even just sharing a laugh during the day is a great way to keep that positive attitude that we need and that our children deserve.
Blogging at the end of the day helps us see how productive and rich our day actually was. It also gives our students an audience with which to share their learning. What a great way to build oral language at home, as we tend to post mostly pictures and count on our students to explain the learning going on. We review our blog each morning as a group to celebrate student success and to inspire and challenge our students’ thinking and learning. Blogging has become an important and valued piece of our program.
Thanks for sharing, Anja! It’s very interesting to hear the many ways that people use a class blog for professional learning as well as to connect with parents and extend student learning.
Aviva