As I set out on this new adventure of blogging, I think about the many “teacher blogs” that are on the web. Many of these blogs seem very foreign and unrelated to me. The person who is writing tends to live in some make believe world. In their make believe teaching land, everything is perfect and made easy with the instructional resources that they are promoting. Often, if not always, the blog has a picture of a perfect teacher’s face. The face is of course smiling from ear to ear, because within the make believe internet world, there is no reason to look any other way than the same as every other teaching blogger. It is as if they saw an attractive, vibrant teacher on another site, and convinced themselves that they could pull off the same sales pitch. If you look closely at the picture of these teachers, or read their content closely, there is something missing. I believe much of the truth of teaching is not being written. Instead we are being subjected to smoke and mirrors. I clicked on one Pinterest advertisement with a smiling, young, full of energy, 5th grade teacher welcoming “first time teachers”. After I clicked on the pin, what filled the screen? Other than a completely different, less vibrant, but still sort of smiling face, and an introduction of how teaching can be overwhelming and terrifying. But do not worry, the author promises that her teaching advice combined with her low cost resources will get the new teachers through their first year. What is more concerning, many of these bloggers are not in the classroom. How can a person be sharing best practices, if they are not practicing?
With this blog I would like to do something much different than what is currently out on the web. First, I would like to be up front and honest. I have always been a very private person. I do not wish to post a picture of myself smiling from ear to ear, and write a biography that would challenge a Disney character. I would like to share a real teacher’s perspective about teaching, and working in a public school system. I would like to include the joys and struggles of not only teaching, but also dealing with fellow teachers, and administration. This blog will be a place where teachers may read about real events, real people, and how one teacher, that is NOT perfect, deals with a classroom, and school full of many different personalities. I plan on sharing what works in my classroom, and what has not worked in my classroom. It is my intent that my passion for teaching and caring for our next generation will come through the entries, and hopefully you will relate to my experiences. Along the way, it is also my intent to share the resources that I use in the classroom, and if you relate to my teaching style, it is my hope to supplement my teaching income with selling these resources on the net. I am not exactly sure how this blogging thing works, but it is my intent to figure things out as we go. Thank you in advance for taking the time to take this journey with me.
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”
– Albert Einstein
