In 2 weeks’ time I will have been blogging and tweeting for 2 years (does that mean I can start with the “terrible twos” and start having tantrums?) My very first post was ummmmm … let’s just say … very short and looking back at one that came shortly after (Making a difference) the memories of the moment came rushing back. I see this student occasionally (she works in a local pub) and I’m so proud of her achievements given everything that she went through when at school.
I am not that arrogant to say that my writing has improved or that I have all the answers but what I can say is that I believe that blogging & tweeting have been some of the most beneficial CPD thangs I have engaged with. I have learnt more about myself and the art of teaching through interacting with others than almost anything else I’ve done … apart from “actual teaching” … obviously! The season of “making lists” will soon be on us, so I thought I’d give you my top 3 reasons (I could give you sooooo many more reasons) why I think teachers should blog and/or tweet:
- Blogging can help formalise your thoughts and ideas. It has helped me to think about the process of teaching and given me a concrete record of situations I’ve found myself in, the decisions I’ve made and also my successes and failures. In the process of writing I’ve invested part of myself into the finished result – to be honest I have written so much more than I’ve published and I’m sure that at times I’ve published more than I should have done. In the process of getting the shizzle out of my head and onto the screen in front of me my thoughts have become more concrete and real (scary, I know!!) and sometimes during the act of writing I’ve had a eureka moment as I’ve sorted through my thoughts and realised what I’ve really been thinking.
- Interacting with others through a blog or through twitter can give you access to the brains of so many wonderful teachers. Teaching a full-time teaching load can be lonely at times when you’re busy doing other stuff between lessons but blogging and tweeting can make it feel that you are teaching in an infinite larger classroom with an infinite number of like-minded teachers. Not everyone agrees with everything I have to say, I get that, yet I have made some true friends through twitter (you know who you are and I can almost hear you smiling as I type this!!) who I know I can turn to for anything (not just about teaching stuff either!). The opportunity to collaborate or get other peoples points of view is only limited by your ability to ask for help.
- Blogging can raise your game by providing you with a personal momentum to be a better version of yourself and by providing valuable feedback (you do need thick skin sometimes!). I’m not suggesting it’s the panacea or that the solution to sh!t teaching can be found by writing a blogpost. Far from it! Personally, though (I am the kind of person that likes to get a positive response – there I go again with the openness!!) so that when I’m putting together resources to use for teaching I also do it with the blog in mind and try to second guess whether you lot would be interested in it too. If I’ve written about a hot topic (think: Maths hubs/ early entry/ higher v foundation/ Frequency trees etc etc … basically, just take your pick of about 290 posts found in the archive!) having others affirm my beliefs has been powerfully enabling to me as a teacher. It has “sort of” validated my opinion to know that I’m not alone … I may not always be right, but I’m not alone in my misguided ideas!
Now I suppose I should do a follow-up post (don’t be expecting one by the way!) on what makes a good blogpost but because I genuinely never have a plan when I start writing I’m not sure myself, what makes a good or a bad post. In fact I’m not sure where this post would sit on that “good/bad” blog post spectrum but “it is what it is”.
Happy Birthday JustMaths!
