Blogging as a Reflective Tool

So, I need to admit that this blog started as a requirement of an OPC Principal Development course I am currently taking. However, I have been meaning to start a blog for a while, but having Debbie Donsky coaching me along was the added incentive I needed to get going.  That being said, I have long been an avid blog reader.

What held me back from getting going?  Well, I often wonder if I have enough to say, or why anyone would want to read what I have to say.  Well, maybe they don’t, but it is a great chance for me to be a reflective leader and help build my own understanding about what I am reading, experiencing and learning.

Why anyone would want to read what I have to say?

I believe strongly in the power of reflection and storytelling – I even worked with my own team to create innovativeed.ca – a shared blog in which all of the educators in my department create posts to share what they are seeing and learning in schools.  A shared blog like that is a great first foray into the world of blogging, because the pressure is off of any one person to create amazing content.  And as a team, we are all reading and learning together.  Often around the office now, someone will say “What if…?” or “If only…” and the regular chorus back will be, “Write a blog post!”

A number of educators in my district have been blogging about their teaching practice for some time.  I am regularly humbled by all that they know and are putting into practice, and the honesty with which they describe their successes and failures. Mike McClenghan is an elementary teacher who regularly posts on Chasing Knowledge about the successes in and learning opportunities from his classroom.  Chris Warren is a secondary teacher who is continuing his own education and sharing about his learning at Mr. Warren’s World.   Heidi Allum has been building and sharing her own knowledge through The Learning Teacher.

So, if these awesome educators can be courageous and vulnerable enough to reflect on their practice in a public forum, I can push myself to try to do the same.  I am venturing into this world of blogging to help me consolidate and grow my own thinking.