What is My Voice?
Lately I have been feeling like my blog doesn’t have a voice…
Do I write about teaching English?
Do I write about middle school?
Am I too focused on nuance that I have lost my voice?
Am I so concerned with crafting metaphors that I have forgotten narative?
I want to write less about policies and pedagogies and write more about daily issues.
Things like:
–My lessons, the good and bad
–Writing Explorations
–Weekly Review
–HashTags
–Photography as Writing
–Stupid jokes
While at ISTE12, I talked with many wonderful people who are passionate about many things under the umbrella of technology and education.
But I realized something while driving home……………………………………………………………..I’m not a techie writer.
I actually do not care about how to bring more technology into my classroom…
Rather, I want to bring more metaphors, ideas, and questions into my class…
…and my blog.
To my readers…In the comments, could you suggest topics you think I should write about? Please?
About The Author
rushtheiceberg
Other posts byrushtheiceberg
Author his web sitehttp://www.rushtheiceberg.com
Write about education. Nick talked about that in his latest #nerdychat podcast. Don’t worry about apps or websites. Write about what you’re thinking about.
@Bill
Thanks for the comment! Half the time I wonder what I am thinking about…
#commented on the @rushtheiceberg post: What is My Voice? http://t.co/3Dk7jGVe
Write about your experiences, conversations, observations, thoughts (all noticings). Ask questions (like you did here). Ignore the advice about staying on topic, about having a blog that has a clear purpose/audience/subject/what-have-you. You are complex. Your interests come and go and return. The voice of your blog is your voice and the purpose/audience/subject is you.
I just shared this passage, a letter of encouragement to Eva Hesse, with someone who was visiting the Sol Lewitt exhibit at Mass MOMA, maybe it’s also pertinent for you?
@Robert
Thanks for the comment and encouragement…I like what you wrote about interests that “come and go and return”…I think that I have forgotten that and have been shackled by trying to hard to write posts about education matters that really do not interest me!
I seem to write more about what is going on in my classroom. I would prefer focusing on that but I rarely get any response when I do it. It can be very difficult to share to an empty room. For all the talk about making it meaningful for the students/classroom there sure isn’t much support out here for it.
@William
To be honest, I wish I could be more vulnerable and write about what’s going on in my classroom on a consistent basis…Even when you do not get much of a response, is the process of writing, which is inherently reflective, beneficial to you and your students? What about parents: do they read and comment about your blog?
I think you need to decide what you want to accomplish by blogging. Is this a space where you want to reflect on your teaching and learning? Are you wanting a creative outlet and a place to share? Are you wanting to add your voice to the larger education reform discussion? My blog lacks direction, too, but I’m okay with it. It’s mostly for me anyway. Sure I appreciate when people read and share my posts, but I’m not looking to build a huge audience or a consulting business. I just want to teach and live well. I like Robert’s response–be true to you. I think you answered your own question when you listed the things you want to write about. Go and do. :0)
@Phillip
To be honest, I am not certain what I want to accomplish by blogging. I guess everything you have mentioned. I guess I also have looked at my blog as the drafting stage of books I want to write.
What is My Voice? | @RushtheIceberg http://t.co/VWz8wJ5Y #icommented #blogging
I don’t think you should ask your readers…I think you are already doing a great job through your rather eclectic posts. They mirror daily struggles, teaching values, small victories, friendship, art…and that makes it a “whole” blog. To me.
However, if you feel the need to change, do it. THAT in itself is a way of finding your voice.
@Cristina –
Thanks for the comment…I’m not really wanting to change my blog, it just feels to me that I tend to write about the same topics all the time. I’m wanting to grow and evolve…I like the topics you have written that I have written about – It helps! I like those categories…