So I need to write a blog!

So initially I didn’t start writing this blog because I have amazing ideas that I want to share with the world that I couldn’t wait to get out; but because I need to do it as an assignment for a course I am taking.  After all, aren’t bloggers people who love to write, people who are creative and innovative, people who are good at accepting criticism and comments that challenge their ideas? 

Absolutely not!  I am a now a Blogger.  A regular person, who has never been especially talented at anything except for helping people.  A regular person, who is not very creative but is a quick learner and a hard worker.  A regular person, who used to love to write, but then life happened.

So where do I begin?  Well I will tell you who I am.  I am a wife, a mom, and a teacher.  I am a student at Regent University’s Administration and Leadership program.  I believe I have what it takes to pursue an administrator role and so did the Admissions Office at Regent J  I have five children.  I have been involved in schools as a parent, PTA volunteer, basketball coach, worked as a School Secretary, served as the Chairperson on the Principal’s Advisory Council, and now I am a High School Business Education teacher.  My experiences have prepared me well, enabling me to take the next step as an administrator.  I hope to provide leadership that is collaborative and promotes an environment where students are genuinely motivated to learn, not because they have to pass SOL exams, but because they want to genuinely LEARN.

So my first blogging assignment is to write about technology trends in Education.  As I continue to type I am not seeing this as an assignment anymore.  I am actually enjoying this!  Just recently I have entered the world of Twitter.  Honestly, I was a little apprehensive about creating a Twitter profile.  I call my daughters and ask “What is a hashtag?”  Help!!!  Why does Twitter move so fast?  Am I doing this right?  Some of my course mates seemed just as confused.  We helped each other through our first twitter chats and I think I’m actually getting the hang of it!

Since becoming a teacher I have been very careful to keep my social media presence very private.  My students have mentioned that they have tried to find me on social media.  I was actually happy when they said they were unable to find me.  I value my privacy and don’t believe my whole life needs to be an open book to colleagues and students.  However my ideas about how private I need to be are changing and I realize I don’t need to be a closed book and I can find a happy medium. 

In the short weeks I have been taking my class, I have learned the importance of having a social media presence.  Sharing ideas with other educators, and even using social media to reach and interact with my students are an essential part of becoming an engaged educator; and social media provides an excellent forum to connect with people I would otherwise not be able to connect with.     

So as an experiment today I googled myself.  The only thing that comes up in a picture from my old job, in my old life as a Financial Analyst.  The last thing I want is for someone to google me and not see who I am now.  I am a wife, mom of five, a volunteer, and an Educator (a job I love). 

 

I love who I am now and am ready to share that with the world.