I have often been asked by
friends and colleagues why I blog. My
kneejerk single response is always “to communicate.” When reflecting on the multiple reasons why I
blog however, it dawned on me that every reason came back to education. Not just education of the surrounding
community (teachers, students, parents, et.), but more importantly myself. Soon to follow was the mental exercise of
where communication with the community at large and education meet and how that
is enhanced by blogging.
Number
One: You
I find that blogging in general
allows me to expand the opportunities for all those involved to learn. For me, it serves as a mental
sketchpad where I put down ideas, revisit them, and then put them out for other people to see. For colleagues, parents, and students it is
an opportunity for a glimpse into the inner workings of a school and a portion
of who
I am as an educator.
One of the biggest problems for both
parents and students is that they are outsiders when it comes to how things
work within a school. As educators
we preach about the positive impact for students when the parents and school
partner to improve the educational experience, but how often do we reflect on
this important issue from parents’ perspective? How
do we in education expect parents to work as partners if they do not understand
a few basic things such as the; best way to communicate, reasoning behind
policies, current efforts being made around initiatives, or vision of the
school?
For a few examples (taken from my
earlier blogs), topics such as:
·
new initiatives, or
Blogging about topics such as
these can help parents and other community members understand something very
important about the school in general; you are a credible institution/leader
who wants to create relationships with the community through honest
communication.
Building Credibility
It is important for community
members to know that both the administrators and teachers are up to date not
only with the most current research, but also the mediums through which they
learn best. Blogging helps
parents get a glimpse into the thought processes, events in the classroom, and
motivation behind instruction and decision making. In
essence, the community at large will find more credibility in a person or
institution that practices complete transparency.
Number
Two: The Community
Lately, there have been more
articles appearing concerning the “branding” of schools. Blogging (along with Twitter) affords the
opportunity to do just that. It gives me
the chance to display what type of leader I am as well as what I believe the
community needs to know about concerning the school. In short, it gives a picture or description
of not only what kind of school the community currently has, but also what type
we could possibly have by working together for the continual improvement of the
educational system (high school experience in this case). After all,
schools and the communities in which they reside both have the same vision;
students becoming educated, productive citizens who make positive contributions
to society.
Creating relationships
Overall, blogging is about engaging
the reader. As I have heard our
Librarian/Media Specialist say over and over…”useful content is king.” Therefore, it is important to understand what
may be important to your audience. A
responsive blog that describes or explains any aspect of school life that the
community is interested in will help build a relationship. Blogs basically invite the reader to come in
and peruse the thoughts behind action.
The possible clarity provided is priceless when it comes to building a
trusting relationship that lasts.
Education
is about relationships, engagement, credibility, community…and providing a
clear, helpful voice through a blog is an easy way to make a positive impact in
all these areas.
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