Prompt - Find and read at least one blog of a "connected" educational leader (use this list to guide you). Examine the blog's organization, topics shared, and read several posts. Comment on at least one of their posts. On your blog, write a post that shares your thoughts about the benefits and uses of educational and reflective blogging for the school leader.
I decided to check out Kristen Swanson’s blog because EdCamp was listed with her profile. I have participated in some EdCamps and have had mostly really positive experiences so I was interested in reading her writing because she works for EdCamp! Her post on The Perceived Costs of Saying “I Don’t Know” was the first post I clicked on because I noticed the inspiration from one of my favorite podcasts, Freakonomics. Her post was about reading their book called Think Like a Freak and focused largely on our ability to admit when we don’t know something. This is something I really struggled with my first few years of teaching high school science. There is SO much to know when teaching science, especially when one is teaching more than one subject (think physics, astronomy, and environmental science). I was in over my head. Reading her post resonated with me a lot, especially in my newer teacher years. I am now in year 10 and I feel like I finally feel okay to admit when I don’t know something. I think this is largely attributed to the growth of my own content knowledge over the past 10 years, and my own acknowledgement of being okay with not knowing everything. I used to attribute this not knowing as a weakness but see it much more as a strength. As my mindset has changed, it’s allowed me to be okay to admit when “I don’t know” something, which is still a lot of the time!
Being able to admit the “I don’t know” is an important strength for leaders to have. By writing and maintaining a reflective blog, leaders can not only share their “I don’t know” moments but also model their growth in these areas. For the audience, it can be relatable and for the leader, it can be a really cool artifact that shows one’s growth over time. Another one of her posts that caught my eye was on the concept of Blended Leadership. I thought this was really relevant to the principalship in connection to communication the use of technology. I visited the Blending Leadership site and was immediately intrigued by one of their newsletters on Costco Rotisserie chickens so obviously, I had to subscribe. Long live bulk shopping and great deals!
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Photo of me from 2012, teaching physics while pretending I know physics.
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Being able to admit the “I don’t know” is an important strength for leaders to have. By writing and maintaining a reflective blog, leaders can not only share their “I don’t know” moments but also model their growth in these areas. For the audience, it can be relatable and for the leader, it can be a really cool artifact that shows one’s growth over time. Another one of her posts that caught my eye was on the concept of Blended Leadership. I thought this was really relevant to the principalship in connection to communication the use of technology. I visited the Blending Leadership site and was immediately intrigued by one of their newsletters on Costco Rotisserie chickens so obviously, I had to subscribe. Long live bulk shopping and great deals!
Wow, what a great insight. Often times, we get caught up in reading the latest research, staying ahead of the curve with the latest technology tools, or attempting to be the best in our field. When in reality, it's impossible for us to know everything, and I agree with you that we shouldn't try to.
ReplyDeleteTeaching and leading is a collaborative profession, and it's important to not only utilize other resources, but to show transparency and be real with your audience if you're unfamiliar with a content area.
Recently, some of my freshmen students are having some anxiety about their first year of high school. They ask a lot of questions, want to know everything, and often seek out a lot of information. While I love all of that (very much), I don't know the answers to some of their questions. I was transparent with them, told them I wasn't sure of that answer, but I told them I would find out for them. I know they appreciated me being straight with them instead of providing something incorrect or vague. While I did get some answers, we both learned something! And we bonded in that moment also. Very cool.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI love that your original connection to this blogger was EdCamp, but you ended up finding a blog post that resonated with you so deeply about something totally different. I think that fact that you were able to see some of yourself in her post is what an educator online presence is all about - reducing the isolation that teachers often feel and letting them know they are not alone.
The reflection of this educator was able to allow for reflection from you; and while I was reading your post, I was reflecting on how much I didn't know my first year of teaching! I love how much we can all relate to each other, reflect together, and share our progress! I would have loved to see this my first year of teaching - it would have given me hope!
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI loved that you directed us to this blog! At the very end, I loved her comment "Saying I don't know is the first step to innovation. Just make sure it's followed up by iterative action that leads to fresh solutions." This is so important. You not only want to say I don't know but you want to spend time exploring the solutions for students to see how you problem solve. MODEL MODEL MODEL!!
"saying I don't Know..."
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful point for you all to connect with.