Praise the LORD for vacation! There is just nothing like mornings on vacation and the luxury of not having to schedule every second of your day. Here in Glen Ellyn, IL, we have this charming coffee shop and bakery that serves up the most delicious and adorable items. I mean just look at this. This was my morning... Gooey cinnamon roll piled high with silky cream cheese frosting, a cup of love, and devotions. I sit outside and can't help be thankful!
But this morning I had a spark. A spark to finally and officially start blogging again. It has been a LONG time folks...
First of all, let me apologize to anyone who was actually reading my blog (besides my dad...I think I may have had 3 followers at this point). When beginning this blogging adventure I didn't quite know what I was in for. At best, I was unprepared. Let's face it...blogging is hard! #bloggingisHARD. I mean each and every one of those capital letters too.
I honestly had no idea how hard it would be to find the time to sit and type. And it's not just sitting and typing what is on your mind. At least it was not that way for me. I had placed this unreasonable expectation that I needed to be this
perfect version of my teacher-librarian-digital literacy specialist self. Each word mattered to its fullest. And with no professional editor to guide me, I was spending far to much time agonizing over each and every word and punctuation mark. I wanted to be funny and engage my audience. I wanted to be liked. But in this cloud of expectations, I just forgot the reasons I had wanted to start blogging in the first place. I want to share and collaborate with my peers....to inspire teachers...and to make this world for our students even better. That is why I am here. That is why I will blog. Come and learn from my mistakes and help share my goals for the 2015-2016 school year and beyond!
Mistakes I made:
1. I tried too hard.
2. I started a blog in my first year at a new school in a new position.
3. I had no idea what I wanted to say.
My Goals:
1.
Be myself. I want my followers to get a true vision of who I am and what I am all about.
2.
Share my love for teaching. I love teaching and have a background in teaching 2nd, 4th, 5th grade, coaching basketball, and tutoring all ages. I am now a certified technology specialist who teaches Digital Media (Library) to K-5 students. I am passionate about using technology to transform learning and empower students.
3.
Learn from others. After all blogging helps us connect and learn from and with one another.
4.
Inspire others. I hope that this blog will help challenge other educators and spread ideas worth trying in the classroom and beyond.
5.
Have fun. Enough said (or typed).
I would love to hear how you have learned from mistakes on your own blogging adventure, tips you could offer, and even some goals for this upcoming school year. Thanks for reading!
Happy Saturday!
Do you use the SIOP model at your school? We post content and language objectives each day for our kiddos to help focus and guide instruction. Today's freebie is a set of posters to use to do just that. Short and sweet. Hope this can be helpful to you! Enjoy the LAST Friday in July...
Have you used Periscope yet? I am just loving this app that allows you to listen to brave and inspiring teachers around the world. This morning I had the privilege of listening to Mrs. Olson from Lucky Little Learners. Her periscope is titled "HOW and WHY to amplify greatness" and she talked about the importance of gratitude. Her little chat inspired today's freebie. I know it isn't even FRIDAY, but I just couldn't resist. I was bubbling over with ideas of how to spread gratitude at school. Use these colorful notes to leave on the desks of your colleagues or kiddos to let them know how grateful you are. Spread the love!
1. Be myself. I want my followers to get a true vision of who I am and what I am all about.