I was over reading the latest post from my dear friend Kim at Finding Joy in 6th Grade and had an epiphany. Funny how that can happen sometimes..and always when you least expect it.
You see, Kim was writing about how she, at times, feels unworthy to blog about her mundane routine at school. That sometimes, what she is doing just seems, well..unblogworthy. And, I gotta tell you, sometimes I do too. I read other blogs and think, "Man, those people know what they are doing! They have amazing classes and amazing things going on all.the.time."
Then I thought about my blog.....and I thought about you. Do you think that about MY blog?? Do you walk away thinking that I am doing amazing things all.the.time with my amazing class? That's when it hit me. You probably do.
Well, I am here to set the record straight. It is not always sunshine and lollipops in my classroom with major learning and fabulous lessons going on. Sometimes, we are doing the mundane everyday stuff, with lesson bombs and wth moments.
However, when I blog, I really honestly only write about that 10 minutes a day when the awesomeness ensues. I mean, who wants to read about little Johnny standing in the wrong spot in line or sweet Sally dramatically retelling what happened at recess?
Just like you, things go well...then they don't.
There are great light bulb moments...and then there aren't.
The kids come up with amazing connections...and then they just sit there staring.
So, what all of this long winded post is trying to say is that us bloggers...we really are just like you. We have all the great things happening that YOU are having, and all the heartaches, frustrations, and not so great things happening that YOU are too. It is my hope that my blog can serve as a starting off point for you to do things in your room that you think will help...and I sincerely hope that you don't read my blog and walk away feeling that what you are doing is somehow "unworthy" (like I know, as Kim said and I concur, is a feeling shared by many of us) and that I am not making you feel like you can't do it all because I seem to "have it all together".
Because let me tell you....I don't. :)
OK - so I totally get what you're talking about (think we had this conversation already) ;) but I just can't get past the title ... I just CANNOT read your name and "unworthy to blog" in the same sentence ... sorry, my friend - won't.do.it. ♥
ReplyDeleteIt was the best I could come up with this late on a Friday ;) hee hee
DeleteThank you for pointing this out. I definitely had those thoughts when reading some other people's blogs! But I'm sure you are correct in your assumption that everyone has parts of their day almost every day go not so smoothly.
ReplyDeleteRebecca
Ladybugs Lounge
Well thanks for pointing this out, but PLEASE continue to write about the good things that happen in your classroom! Lately I thought about this as well, not because I keep up with blogging, but because I periodically tell my mom and some close friends about exciting times in my classroom. Their response is usually that I'm a great teacher. But I know if they would step into my classroom they would see messy things that happen throughout the day. I report the fun, exciting moments to them because it helps me have a positive attitude. Hopefully blogging also helps you and many other teachers see the all the good things that happen in your classroom!
ReplyDeleteI'll admit it - I have put you on a pedestal. I know that you are dealing with the same intermediate age kids as me - and I'm sure that your boys are still boys and your girls might have their moments too... and I'm thankful for everything you share and have taught me. Keep sharing please!!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry....I have plenty of 10 minutes of awesomeness to write about. I mean, there are 180 school days ;)
DeleteAnd yes, it sounds like we ARE dealing with the same kiddos ;)
I,too, see other teacher bloggers - especially including you! - as having it all together. It can be days before I find something in my classroom that's blog-worthy. I keep thinking I need to go visit your classrooms to observe! Thank you for reminding us that we all are in this together - it's the sharing that helps so much. Hang in there! Pat
ReplyDelete"I really honestly only write about that 10 minutes a day when the awesomeness ensues." You know, this just gave me a whole new perspective. I bet that each of us has these moments every day and just don't see it because the other hours that can be frustrating over shadow the awesomeness. I am going to start looking for those ten minutes every day. I might start with two and work my way up, and I'm going to start writing about those two minutes. I bet my joy in the classroom increases rapidly. Thank you for a new way of looking at teaching. After this week I really needed it!
ReplyDeleteIt really is hard sometimes to focus on those positive moments, when there is so much working against us at times. Frustration is such a powerful emotion when it comes to teaching. And, after this week, I too need to look at my 10 minute snips instead of the rest!
DeleteThank you for writing this! There should be an epic fail linky where we all share our less than blogworthy moments. Thanks for reminding us that we're all in the same boat, and that while none of us is perfect, we still have so much to share with one another when those awesome moments do present themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I feel the same way. I enjoy your blog!
ReplyDeleteI admit that when I read blog posts I see all this awesomeness and think wow, that is hard to keep up with! Thank you for putting it into perspective. And yes, your blog is all kinds of great!!
ReplyDeleteLori
Conversations in Literacy
Well said. I too tend to only write about those "good" moments and ideas. There are plenty of bad one that happen in my classroom too. Sometimes it feels there are more bad ones than good ones.
ReplyDeleteI soooo understand what you're saying! I think I would need two extra blogs to write about the mundane and negative moments in my classroom. Of course, I prefer to focus on the great moments, or I wouldn't be the happy teacher I am!
ReplyDeleteSally from Elementary Matters
We all need to celebrate the awesomeness going on in our classrooms, even if it is less often than we would like. That's what makes our teaching worth while. Since I'm brand new, I enjoy reading about so-called "mondane" day-to-day routines because that helps to give me a sense of how to better plan and to know what to expect. When things don't go as well as we would like, it is still important to reflect on it (privately if desired) so that we can try to understand what happened, and how to do things a little differently next time. This is where mentoring can come in handy for newbies like me. I so often wonder whether I'm even doing my students any good. But just keep up the great work. Know that we love reading your posts.
ReplyDeleteJessica
The Learning Metamorphosis
I love this post. I am fairly new at this and I sometimes wonder why anyone would want to read what I write! But, I am up to 67 followers so I must be doing something right. Thanks for reminding us we are all human and we all have good moments and bad moments!
ReplyDeleteMy Journey to 5th Grade
Julie
I totally get what you're saying and I agree....it's not all giggles and sunshine in my classroom either BUT I am around enough negativity all day, and the TV is full of it....so who wants to post about something down??? I try to be positive and hope and pray that someone, somewhere can get something out of my posts....do I feel unworthy? All the time, but keep going:) Your posts, friend, are very worthy and inspirational:) Keep sharing the sunshine:)
ReplyDelete4th Grade Frolics
I know...I just don't want someone to walk away from my blog thinking even worse about the day because it all just seems like fabulous unicorns are running around my room all day ;) Just thought I would bring a little reality into my blog for a bit ;) hee hee
DeleteDon't worry though. The worth lollipops and sunshine will be back tomorrow!
Thank you for your blog post - it really did put things in perspective. Blogs are a great source of inspiration and ideas but sometimes make you feel like everyone else has these amazing things going on all the time. You have to remember though - not only do you have great things happening in your class (even if it is only for 10 minutes) you have helped some of us have great things happen in our classes. I started using your paragraph a week unit this week - and one of my students had a super proud moment on Thursday - she had written her first paragraph - she never thought she could write so much and have it work out! So thanks for your blog and sharing the good times - and the not so good!
ReplyDeleteLooking From Third to Fourth
Oh my gosh! That comment made my day! I am so glad your student was able to feel so much success. Writing is such a hard thing to do, and I am sure he felt uber proud. Thank you for sharing with me :)
DeleteOh how I agree with this post! I have utilized so many FABulous treasures from your blog and gained insight from emails we've shared. I most undoubtedly consider your blog one of my "must visit daily for inspiration" sites. In fact, it was the reason I saw this one. I haven't been blogging a lot recently due to time, energy, and lack of feeling like I had anything to offer. Today, I had 10 min. at lunch (a WHOLE ten minutes, just to myself! I digress ...) so I decided to catch up on my "favorites" - and I found THIS post. Made my day :) Thanks for being willing to be honest and for all you share!
Deletelove that honesty! It is sometimes hard thinking about all the fabulousness going on that I see online. SOmetimes I gotta step back and remember, this cannot and is not their each and every moment at school day in and day out. We do work with children and we do have curriculum to teach that's not all that fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! so blogworthy!
Rachel
So "worth" reading! Your posts always pump me up. I am a first-year teacher, and I love reading your blog to get ideas about how to best teach my fifth graders. I am a huge lover of your Spiral Review...it is making a HUGE difference with my guys! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!
ReplyDeleteFumbling Through Fifth Grade, aka Hannah :)
Karen said it best when she pointed out that we let the frustrating times overshadow the awesomeness!! :) It's so easy to do that, and then I know in my experience I sometimes let that become my focus.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna make it MY focus to look at all the awesomeness that goes on in my classroom and make that my focus!
Thanks for this wonderful post!
Shannon
http://www.irunreadteach.zwordpress.com
I appreciate this post. I agree that many things on the internet glorify a reality and its hard to compare your normal, semi-boring life to that. The same holds true for blogging. Its the best of the best moments and that makes it hard to sometimes identify with when life is not a stacked deck of awesomeness. I appreciate you being transparent and putting the reality on the table so that we can all reflect on its truth. Keep doing what you are doing and do it because you love it, not to "keep up" with any one blogger.
ReplyDeleteAlways A Lesson
LOL!! I LOVE this.....this is very real. And.....yes, I think we all feel this way at times, but thank you for sharing your great 10 minutes.
ReplyDeleteShannon
Sweet n Sassy in 2nd
Ok, so I am a teeny bit behind in reading your blog...I'm catching up though!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this. It's funny, but I started out just blogging about whatever we were working on or I was making for my class, just hoping a little something might help at least one person out there. I hadn't fully realized it until you and Kim started talking about this, but I think I've been more hesitant to blog because my stuff sometimes seems so little in comparison to the great things I read. But you are so right in your words of wisdom.
Thanks Stephanie, I think you helped me feel like getting back to where I came from. :)
I love reading your blog. It's real. Not fluff. I catch myself talking to other teachers and we talk about bloggers like they're our friends. I think the important part is that we enjoy the 10 minutes of teaching gold in every day and not drown in the mundane and discouraging events that happen more regularly. Blogs like yours remind me why I teach and helps me feel empowered to do everything I can to reach all my students.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post--I was DEFINITELY needing it! I love all of your posts and they are all inspiring in some way, but this was also motivational! THANK YOU!
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ReplyDeleteged book 2011