For the next 9 days or so, I am attending a summer writing institute where we get to reflect on writing practices and learn some new strategies that we can incorporate into our classroom. Though I came in with relatively low expectations, it has given me great insights into how to help students with writing and many writing samples I can directly share here with everyone.
This is of course being attended with my former co-teacher John Havey. He was good for the most part, annoyed me at times, but without his support I would not have been able to seamlessly transition from general education into special education for the following school year. Cheers to our evolution from co-workers into friends.
First writing sample embedded below:
I like to blog at night. Writing is one of the ways I can get my thoughts onto paper. Beliefs and ideas are transplanted onto a digital medium that could be accessed by anyone. My mind wanders through various different thoughts, whether it be related to teaching, my personal life, or anything else in between. My thoughts are visible for all to see…
And of course, it is all a projection. My blog is at worst, rated PG-13 for content. It presents an image of me as caring, kind, and of course as “normal” as can be. I’m a son, husband, brother, and friend. I’m a teacher who cares for his students. All of my past memories have shaped me into the person I am today. If you didn’t know me, you’d think I was an awesome person who is relatively stable.
And yet, a ghost hovers over me, and I can almost hear him breathe….
On the inside, there are many things I would never blog about for people to see. My most innermost thoughts. My biggest secrets. My biggest mistakes in life. My fatal flaws, and the trauma that has made me who I am today. Like the tomb of ancient pharaohs in Egypt, these secret thoughts are locked away only accessible by me in my mind, and not immediately visible unless you peel back the layers. The projection is all a facade.
And yet, I continue to blog.
Everything presented on these pages remains a representation of what I want the world to see me as. It’s obviously not always the way I see myself. It hides the insecurities, hides the problems, hides the trauma, and masks away the mistakes I’ve made (which there have been plenty) throughout the course of my life. And yet I’ll continue to blog and continue to make clear my thoughts and ideas.
Blogging is a skill. The ability to put into thoughts carefully crafted for the world to see requires some selective attention. What to leave in. What to leave out. I make sure to present it in a way that is representative of me as a person, but at the same time leaving out many important details along the process. It gives me a chance to present myself as I would like the world to see me.
With this in mind, I’ll continue blogging till the day I die. Hopefully my children will inherit this blog and continue the process.
