Being more PIRATE…#BlogLAP
In my attempt to be more ‘PIRATE’ about blogging, I will be charting my course over several posts using my own version of the PIRATE acronym. I am ready to see where blogging takes me. My hope is to be able to make this a habit-changing practice for myself.
P…Purpose Planning Passion Pay Attention
Purpose
I made a decision to chart a course and to start blogging! My daring, risk-taking declaration was made in a previous post Blog Like a Pirate #BlogLAP. Truth is, I ‘started’ to blog many times and have never stuck with it. What is different this time? What has changed and how will I stick with it?
I had great passion as a teacher for the learning that took place in my classrooms and now as a leader in my school. My passion for learning has always been to share and encourage others around me. I have been an educator for many years now and wish to start writing about what I have come to know. My purpose is to share my writing in order to see what I think. Hopefully, along the way, others will read with me as I chart this course.
Planning
Planning for blogging this time around will involve some organizational habits. I like to keep a paper journal for ideas as they come to me. I still enjoy the physical aspect of writing in a journal and do this daily as part of being a principal in an elementary school. I also use Google Keep © on my phone and laptop. I have several draft posts in Google Keep and find it easy to use when I am away from my office. I like the fact that I can open notes on my PC and am able to edit on various devices.
The paper journal contains ideas that nag at me or make me think. Usually a comment someone has made or something I have read nags at me until I write it down. Once the idea or thought is recorded, I can then put it aside until I feel I can write about it. My plan is to keep a working list of topics on hand, both online and on paper, so I do not use the excuse that I do not have anything to write about!
The challenge for me will be making blogging a habit. In order to make this a habit, I will need to plan and set a scheduled time to blog. As this is currently my summer vacation, I have time on my hands. Once school begins in a few weeks, I will be scheduling a time for blogging. I will block that time in my calendar and will hold myself accountable. My thinking is that I may try to write in the early morning as this seems to be a time when I can manage this. I will also block 10 to 15 minutes during the day where I will record topics and moments with students and teachers that I feel would be great blogging posts or topics.
Passion
In Lead Like a Pirate, Shelley Burgess @burgess_shelley and Beth Houf @BethHouf challenge us to think about what our passions ARE and what they are NOT. Some of the questions they raise are:
- Specific to leadership, what are you most passionate about?
- Within the profession of education, but not specific to leadership, what are you passionate about?
- Outside of your profession, what are you most passionate about?
Passions are the things we love and for many of us drew us to education and keep us excited about our role as leaders in our schools. Taking my lead from the questions provided above, I will be identifying my passions and will use the list generated from the questions as topics for future blog posts.
Paying Attention
In my attempt to blog, I wish to use it as a way to pay closer attention to my own learning as well as the learning of others. This paying attention will help build rapport with students and staff members and, hopefully, will challenge the thinking around why we do what we do and how we can improve our practice over time. My hope is that by consciously paying attention to the learning that is taking place within our classrooms and throughout our schools, I will be able to take what I am learning and articulate into a post for myself and others.
I would like to leave you with a few questions of my own…
- What are your own reasons for blogging?
- How do you make time in your schedule to blog?
- What does your planning look like when it comes time to blog and post?
- How has your thinking changed since becoming a blogger?