For the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education. While the official club has ended, they have shared posts to continue the journey through 2017. This week’s prompt is the final one to celebrate the success of completing the year-long challenge.

It’s a bit anti-climactic since I’ve celebrated two “endings” of the challenge. Well one reflecting on the blogging process midway through the year called Reflecting on Blogging (though I’d been blogging before the club began) and the second when they were going to end early called … and scene. So, unless they come back from the dead, this is really IT.

How do I feel? In one word, accomplished. I saw the yearlong activity through from January through December. I posted each week using the prompts and in between with other blogging-related content like book reviews and librarian activities. I’d say that it’s a characteristic of my personality, the need to accomplish an activity once it’s started. Ultimately every library activity from author visits (planned years in advance sometimes) to preparation for the year ahead is an exercise in perseverance. Students may change, the weather even, and administration or colleagues, but inside you need to revisit the concepts and the reasons, refining them and getting as close to perfection as they can before the launch. You hear this from authors whose published books began years before.

So again, thank you Edublogs for putting this together and keeping people connected. I’ve followed several blogs and connected with others professionally that I would not have otherwise. It’s inspiring and reinforces the need for educators to talk, share, and engage with one another. I’ll be closing the book on 2017 and a years worth of posts and can’t wait to see what 2018 will bring.

For the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education. While the official club has ended, they have shared posts to continue the journey through 2017. This week’s prompt was to create a list of prompts like Edublogs did for the #edublogsclub.

Here are my thoughts on what I’d like to see from fellow educators including my librarian colleagues.

1. Behavior and consequences— How have you dealt with difficult students? How do you feel about discipline in your building and in schools in general?
2. Wardrobe– What do you wear everyday?
3. Most creative thing you’ve done– What creative activity are you most proud of?
4. Profile a student– Was there one student who won you over? A student that you’d like to see run the world one day? A student that you’ll always remember?
5. What you do on holidays and breaks– Is this your time to decompress and unwind? Do you pack it with activities that you’re not doing while in school-mode?
6. Encouraging memes, quotations, videos, or music– We all need a pick me up and there’s a reason I have a Pinterest board called “For One of Those Days”, so what meme, quote, video, or music do you use to encourage you on one of “those days”?
7. Share a lesson or activity– Do you have a particularly awesome activity or lesson you’ve done with students that you’d like to share?
8. Summer— Just like what what you do on holidays and breaks, how do you spend your summer?
9. Gift-giving or gift-receiving— We share gifts with our mail people and neighbors, but what’s the best gift you’ve given or received during your time in education?
10. Bulletin board or display— We don’t have to be Picasso’s to whip up (or steal) a great bulletin board or display, share the picture and the reason for the display!

Phewf! That was exhausting, how did Edublogs do that for a whole year? I’m sure a fabulous collaborative team, but I am only one person and ten was all I could handle. Any other ideas that you’d like to see?

As part of the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education. While the official club has ended, they have shared posts to continue the journey through 2017. I’m combining the next two prompts about teaching handwriting and embedding a poll.

Good handwriting means something, like being well-dressed. It’s a skill and should be seen as such. Maybe I’m biased because I am often complimented on mine. But, I also appreciate it in others and can count on one hand colleagues and friends whose handwriting I admire.

With that out there, yes, I do believe teaching handwriting including cursive should be required, if for nothing else than knowing what’s out there and picking what’s best for you. Don’t tell me you’re a cicerone, but have only tasted a handful of beer. So, how would you know if cursive is your handwriting style of choice if you haven’t learned it? To quote Nike, “just do it”.

Yet I am only one person. What do you think?

As part of the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education. While the official club has ended, they have shared posts to continue the journey through 2017. This week’s prompt was about a podcasts.

Rather than talk about how I used podcasts professionally or personally, I’ll admit that I’ve tried listening to podcasts and right now, it’s just not the thing that works for me. I’d rather read a blog post about a topic than listen to people talk about it just like I’d rather read a book than listen to the audio version.

The only time I have been remotely captivated by a podcast was This American Life’s Serial series seasons one and two because the topics were interesting and others had recommended I listen to it because I’m a fan of true crime. I listened to them mostly when walking the dog (I need music when I’m exercising) or doing the housework, but just like listening to an audiobook while driving, I’m often distracted and then realize I’ve missed a chunk of the clip and need to go back.

That’s not to say I won’t go back and try podcasts at another time, like I did with Twitter when it first came out, but for now, it doesn’t fit my needs and lifestyle. Sorry to disappoint but you won’t find the next great recommendation for a podcast here because I’ve deleted Stitcher from my phone and haven’t listened to one since Fall 2014 when I still wasn’t sure whether Adnan Syed killed his teen girlfriend or not.