Three Ways #AprilBlogADay Has Impacted Me

 

I started the AprilBlogADay challenge late, but am so glad I got to be a part of this.  I began my blog about three and a half years ago, and have struggled with topics and words often since then.  The struggle got a little easier when I stopped focusing on writing it for someone else, and used it as a platform to reflect and process for my myself instead.  Then, this month, this challenge, helped even more.  Here are three ways how:

1. I focused on the message. – I allowed myself only a short window each day to write about the prompt.  My posts ended up shorter than usual, and the writing might not be as refined, but I was able to stick to the goal of posting daily that way, and spent more time on the message and less on worrying about how it read.  (Wow, talk about a run-on sentence.)
2. I made new connections. – Through this challenge, I met some new educators, made some new friends, and found some great new blogs to read.  I love enlarging my PLN with quality professionals, and this was an easy way to do that.  It’s been fun to read different perspectives on the same topic.  I’m looking forward to staying connected with this community through #edblogaday.  We would all welcome new participants, so let me know if you want to join the group, and I will point you in the right direction.  Bloggers are good people.  🙂
3. I helped tell the story. – We’ve all heard it said that we need to tell  our own story.  I completely agree with that.  No one knows me better than  me.  But no one knows education better than educators.  This blog challenge got educators telling the story of teachers, administrators, students, and schools to people outside of our daily world.  It’s important that we tell what really happens and not leave it up to the media and politicians to portray.  The more we blog about education, the more likely “outsiders” will catch a post and be a bit more enlightened.

I joined AprilBlogADay for motivation to write.  I stuck with it because it was easy to follow along.  I will continue the practice because of how it has impacted me as a blogger, and more importantly, as an educator.