Teacher Blogging 101

Education blogging is a tool used by teachers to share various forms of information regarding their classroom. Some teachers use blogs to share what is going on in the class to parents, as well as share tips and tricks with other teachers. Not only is it helpful for teachers to learn from each other, but it can also be used as an additional form of income. Teachers may choose to share things such as lessons plans, worksheets, classroom management tips, product recommendations, and more. The possibilities are endless when it comes to things teachers can share about the classroom. Teachers use blogs as a resource for inspiration and ideas from other teachers, Blogs are seen as a win-win for teachers and parents in the educational system. 

This has proven true for me, as I have gotten to learn from my peers through their blogs. Haylie Lacy wrote about teacher salaries in her blog Education Hot Topics with Haylie. She shared the perspective that many teachers share that salaries are not conducive to comfortable living especially starting out. She made the argument that teachers are the ones that teach doctors and lawyers and other highly esteemed professions, so it is not far to give them such low salaries. From Kate Cofer's blog Everything Elementary I learned about the importance of looking for the origin of behavioral problems by really getting to know your students. I also got to learn about the importance of parental involvement in classrooms from Kalee Hampton's Parental Involvement blog. I love getting to learn from my peers as a look into what it might be like to learn from fellow teachers when I am a teacher in the future.

Whether you are blogging to earn some extra income or just to organize and keep record of ideas and experiences, I think blogging is extremely useful in the classroom. It helps teachers learn from each other and keep parents informed with what is going on in the classroom. Personally, I have enjoyed blogging because of the freedom that comes with it. Teachers have full control what they want to write about, and getting to choose content is not something that teachers get to do very often. Teachers are limited in the classroom with strict guidelines to what they can teach, but blogs serve as a creative outlet to share what they want to share. 

 

Forming Citizens Instead of Robots: Whole Child Approach to Education

Rather than creating and encouraging students to memorize and spit out information, teachers are leaning towards the whole child approach. This is an approach to education that emphasizes all aspects of a child when considering their education. A strategy developed by the ASCD in 2007 that allows students to reach their potential of future citizens. It does this by looking beyond typical standards of academic achievement in students, and considering the five tenets of health, safety, engagement, support, and challenge. These factors are important to consider in education, so teachers can recognize where students are coming from in their learning. In a whole child approach, teachers can better cater to what students need, and help them better reach their potential. A whole child approach to student success

The whole child approach ensures that students
will graduate school as valued citizens.

Personally, I believe that a whole child approach to education is much more beneficial than the alternative of only looking at academic achievement. I have been in classrooms of each, and I remember feeling more cared for, challenged, and encouraged in classes where my teacher was looking at my peers and myself holistically. When teachers took the time to get to know their students on a personal level, they were able to accommodate to us more effectively. I can recall one instance in fourth grade where my teacher, for the first time in all my education, got to know me better, and discovered an area that I had been struggling in my education with for years. I had been able to compensate for my struggles, so my achievement appeared that there was no issue, but the closer he looked into who I was as a student and person, the better he was able to see that my past teachers had missed something. I felt supported and cared for in this instance, and was able to reach my higher potential. Therefore, I believe that whole child teaching is the most effective way to approach a classroom of children coming from all different places.