It's finally happened!!!
Much to my children's regret one of my friends has joined facebook,
soooooooooo I felt obliged to follow him.
This is going to be interesting.
Here's my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000694077169
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
1 comment:
*Never forget the greater picture of why I'm blogging. I will not write posts to gain followers, get attention with snarky comments, or harm either students of co-workers with my words. I blog to become a better teacher, hone my own insights, gain a better understanding of my teaching journey, connect with other educators who, in turn, can make me become a better teacher.
*Always write about a child in a way so that if their parent found the blog they would know I respected every aspect of their child's learning- although I may write weaknesses I must always show the child's true strengths & write to show how much I love and appreciate the child.
*Always write about my co-workers in a way that also reflects their strengths. I have amazing co-workers, which is truly a blessing. I value collaborating and believe that we are better teachers when we put our heads together. I never want to write anything that will in any way hurt our relationship, which in turn would hurt the students' learning. I don't want to use my blog to vent, in turn hurting the trust someone has put in me.
*I will work hard not to write anything that will prevent me from doing my job. I do not want anything I write to hurt my co-workers, students, or my school in any way. I have the best job in the world, and I would hate to end up having to leave teaching because I forgot the bigger picture in my blog.
*I try my best to stick to these, but I'm sure you can find posts I've written that don't follow these 4 rules. But I try. Sometimes I might think I'm following them and I don't, and later I can see where I made my mistake. Know I'm trying, and if you feel I haven't done one of these let me know.
So, here's what I see as our blogging rights-
*We have the right to reflect on our teaching journey on-line.
*We have the right to collaborate with educators from all over the world.
*We have a right to wonder what is best practice, debate education policies/practices/teaching styles, and question what is not working in an on-line forum.
*We have a right to use our blogs to process a difficult day, as long as we stay within the lines of the responsibilities listed above.
The combination of the Rights/Responsibilities allows us to:
*Communicate & collaborate with educators from all over the world
*Become more reflective in our teaching
*Improve our teaching practices to best benefit our students
*Find the silver linings inside the most frustrating of days & know that we are not alone
*Keep a sense of humor, which, in turn, allows us to be stronger teachers who come back to work day after day inspired, energized, and ready for a challenge
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I JUST found your blogspot, John, and am impressed with the above message! Not being a teacher, but having a lot of life experiences during my 3/4 of a century of living, I know a good, and compassionate, person when I "see" one! In this case, I "see" you only through your writings as I haven't been able to attend one of the reunions held in Oz. But your blogs have given me a great picture of who you are!
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, teachers have a huge responsibility, but also a huge opportunity, to direct the life of a child in the best possible way, and to give him, or her, the tools to pursue their passions, all the while helping them to know the difference between the things worth being passionate about, and those things that will set them on the wrong path!
I love that you have developed your "Blogger's Bill of Rights" and recognized that with "Rights" also come "Responsibilities" . . . Good job, John! Please, let me know if your blog is meant only for your fellow educators, and, if so, I will understand if you choose not to publish this on your blogspot . . . otherwise I look forward to following you here at "Dark Gybe"! Jessica would be so proud of the positive position you have taken, and are expressing so beautifullyl!! Carol (Flo) Florida U.S.A.