IN PURSUIT OF BLOGGING FOR EDUCATION . Or, "I forgot, what was your prince's name again?"

#2 FINDING MY VOICE

One of the excuses I've used to prevent myself from even starting a blog, besides the obvious "what do I have to say?" has been "How do I pick a topic for my blog?" 

In my first post, I point out how being a teacher is entwined with everything I do. Well, so too is being a type 1 diabetic ( nearly my whole life), a wife, a daughter, a dog owner, an introvert. I also like to believe I am a photographer, artist, Facebooker (ok, not exactly  proud of that one), an aunt, and more.

I admire dedicated bloggers like Teacher Tom and Deborah Stewart  .  To have the time and energy  to be with children all day, enjoy your family and leisure time, AND blog consistently. How do they do it? Will I be able to do it? Will I be able to stay neutral or positive enough that I bring honor to my current position? Will anyone even find this? Read it? Share it? 

I just finished reading "Blogging For Educators: Writing for Professional Learning."

[On Amazon, Here ]. A short, non-fiction booklet that encourages educators to share through blogging.   A quick search brought up this blog spot that my brother set up for me...in 2010! I haven't touched it since.  I'm still not confident with it, can't always get it to do what I want, but...here we go...

The blog title, "Pam's Pursuits" , besides playing on the alliteration of my name, comes from the kind of boat we owned.  I liked that the word Pursuit has a different meanings, showing action (seeking, following, chasing) or interest  (an occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily.) [definition] I am always in pursuit of being a better teacher, and I am
beginning to pursue how to be a better leader and advocate for early childhood education. I also believe. teachers are better when they pursue outside interests, especially interests they can bring into the  classroom.   Or better yet, interests they can explore WITH the children.

So I'm pursuing a blog about education, and my work for over 25 years with young children, with the knowledge that all my other interests will be intertwined at some point, because I share many of them with the children.  For example, I started my current position soon after I was married.  I was inspired by another teacher to share my wedding photos, telling the story as if it were a fairytale. The children were mesmerized. I didn't try to hide the fact that this was me and my husband, and yet the children can get so engaged that on the last page 1 girl makes a realization, "hey, that's you!"

And the next day, Benjamin asks, "what was your prince's name again?" Too many teachers miss the opportunity to be the princess in their own stories by being reluctant to share about themselves.

Do you share about yourself in the classroom? What are some  interests and passions you share or
explore with the children you teach? Or do you believe in keeping your home life private and separate?

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION. Or, "I remember you. How old are you again?"

Sebastian greeted me with that question when I stopped by my classroom for the first time all summer. Eight weeks earlier, on our last school day together, I had imagined visiting summer camp frequently.  But here I was, 2 months later, trying to figure out why my age was the  relevant question! It's true I turned 50 this  year, but I don't think Sebastian, age 4, had any idea it was a landmark birthday.
         "Why do you ask, Seb?"
         "I think  you're older than my Mom," he answered thoughtfully. "Right?"
          "Yes, I would say you're right." We both smiled, and the conversation stopped there. He didn't need a numerical answer, he was just trying to put things in order.

 I hadn't asked for the summer off, but I wasn't surprised when it was presented to me as a gift, which it turned out to be. Enrollment has been declining for the past few summers and there just aren't positions for everyone.  Our center goes from 4 full day classes and a morning program/ after school
program (100 children) to 2 full day under-enrolled classes (about 30 children).  I've worked every
summer, but it becomes easier and easier to take more time off.

As it turned out, time off  was necessary. A few hours after our End of the Year Singalong, my husband received a call from Yale New Haven Hospital that they would likely have a kidney for him. We were to show up at the hospital by 8 am the next day. After being on dialysis nearly 4 years, and having had other calls for potential transplants that never panned out, we were only  mildly hopeful.

It was easy to call out at work as it was a teachers-only workday, a luxury not all centers have. I even told them I expected to be in later! But the transplant went through and most of my weekend was spent at the hospital, even missing our end of the year dinner and retirement party for our director of 13 years,  a respected colleague.

The summer wasn't all about hospitals, though it
took some work for Mike to get "straightened out". We got away to Martha's Vineyard for a few days, my beloved home away from home. While there, I did some painting, photography, and... shell collecting. I can't help it! I can't put them down! No matter how many I have already - and they do fill plenty of space at home - I will always collect more. As a teacher, I'm always thinking of ways to use them in my class, but
almost always I want to respect their natural beauty, so we don't paint them or even use them for collage, but rather for counting, sorting, matching, etc


In July,  Mom and I attended a regional photography conference at UMass, something we have done together for years. Mom is a retired kindergarten/nursery school teacher so we talk shop a lot. Or rather,since she's no longer teaching, she listens and I talk!

While there, I had the strong realization that "professional development requirements" for early childhood teachers should include topics of personal interest. We should be  REQUIRED  to take time off and pursue interests that SEEMINGLY have little to do with early
childhood education. And hopefully, we then bring our more well rounded selves into the classroom!

Selah of Paw Paw's CASEY JONES

Mike and I visited Gettysburg, PA this summer, on our way to get a long haired German shepherd puppy from a breeder in WV.  I spent time thinking about how my classroom would be different if I taught in that area.  How could you learn about community without talking about war? How could you build your neighborhood without including cannons in small blocks?   My thoughts on gun play are ever changing, but given the move towards place based education, a Gettysburg, PA preschool classroom would almost have to have cannons!

I am thinking about teaching, and my classroom, all the time. Whether it's perusing Pinterest on a Sunday morning in bed, keeping up with a teacher forum, or finding something good at a flea market, I do not separate being a teacher from the rest of my life. It is very much intertwined. I'm not sure which came first - my varied interests or my interest in teaching young children, but it is the perfect outlet for someone like me. Somewhere in an early childhood textbook I am quoted as saying(and I paraphrase) "I love my job because it allows me to do such a variety of things every day. I get to cook, play with clay, do photography, talk, listen, laugh. Every day."

 I worked with someone who told me her favorite thing to do is sing...and yet I never heard her sing in the classroom aside from her 15 minute "music" time. I worked with another teacher who mesmerized the children at her lunch table with stories of her childhood. Children begged to sit at her
table. They know a good thing as quickly as I do. I know which kind of teacher I want to be.

I think a goal this year will be to help my coteachers share more of themselves in the classroom, and hopefully to see the benefit in the process. I guess I am making an assumption that sharing our own interests and passions is a good thing.
Do readers agree? Do you share you own interests and skills in the classroom? How does this look in your room? Please share!