It's a Blogging Life For Me...

When the topic of blogging came up on the first night of class, I was thrilled. I've had a personal blog for over a year now. I love the process of reflecting on life and sharing my thoughts with others. It's nice to know that friends and relatives can keep up with me by reading a bunch of words on a nicely decorated page. That's where this blog comes in. It's always interesting when you try to blur the lines between personal and professional. I've considered school my job for the past year because it's been so intense. Writing about school related things on the personal blog doesn't catch much attention. But that's why I was excited to create this "teacher" blog. Classmates and teachers care more about the content in this space because we can each relate to the material in some way.

I've enjoyed writing and reflecting on my experiences throughout the past six weeks. This semester has probably been the hardest one because the end is so close. Senioritis has kicked in and the fact that the classroom is so close makes the end seem even farther away. I can truly say that this space has made me think about tough topics in a more meaningful and insightful way. I also was more thoughtful in my blog posts because I knew other professionals and peers would be reading the content. I'm looking forward to using this space in the future. I want to share my experiences during the student-teaching process, but I'm also hopeful I'll use this space to talk about the job search, my first classroom, and other school and teacher related experiences. Who knows, this blog could end up being my classroom website as well!

Blogging for this course not only gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own experiences, but it also gave me the chance to see what my peers were thinking. My learning of much of the readings for this course was enhanced because I could read what others were posting based on the same prompts. I also enjoyed reading about my peer's experiences in the classroom. I found that some had similar struggles to my own, but others had great success. Getting the chance to share in these experiences in an indirect way gave me the opportunity to further reflect on my own classroom experiences.

The only way I think the blog hindered my learning experience was the extent to which I could share information. I obviously had to be more careful about the items I posted here because anyone can view or read the content. I wouldn't say I was less honest because of that...I would just say I was less detailed. And that's the way this blog will stay.

I came into this course with a love for social studies and history and I'm leaving with a profound understanding of what it takes to actually teach the subject in the classroom. I've learned from my teaching experiences that it's a huge challenge. Many teachers don't even make time for social studies in the school day. I look forward to tackling the challenge of integration - that's the most effective way to fit each of the subjects into the instructional day. I also hope to learn a lot more about myself as a social studies teacher. I will maintain high expectations for myself and for the lessons that I bring into the classroom, but I do hope my lesson writing skills when it comes to social studies, progress as quickly as this program has.

Thanks for everything!