I believe that it takes a lot of courage for someone, most especially a teacher, to blog and communicate with a wide audience what's in his heart about his professional practice. I admire teacher bloggers a lot! For someone new in the blogosphere like Tim, here's my advise: be yourself. Believe in your own words. Being an effective communicator can take you a long way and is a skill worth developing. Persuade your audience with modesty and build your audience up.
His email is so refreshing:
Hello Maria!
My name is Tim Villegas and I am a teacher for students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities in Marietta, GA. I have created a website promoting inclusive schools and communities and I would like to feature your website (among others) as one of my favorite Special Education blogs. Would you be willing to share with me what inspired you to create this blog (in a sentence or two)? I would like your permission to quote you as I compile my post.
Thanks for your time and I would love to get your input on my website...it is still in beta but feel free to peruse the site.
Tim Villegas
My response:
Hello Tim,
Your blog is a wonderful place to start a collaborative conversation around what matters most to our students with special needs. I would love to see you post some more; eventually you will find teachers, parents and other professionals in our field commenting on your page. The trick is to start building a great content around a single theme --- special education and inclusion, in this case.
I started blogging in 2005, writing mainly about my experiences as a classroom teacher because as a new teacher migrant that time I wanted to collaborate with teachers around the globe and learn from them. I wanted a venue where I can reflect about my professional practice, share with others what's working and not working in my classroom, and get feedback from educators in the same field. Blogging has helped me become a 21st century teacher; it's all about reflective practice, collaboration, exploration, sharing, and taking part in a larger community that I love most!
All the best, keep me posted!
Sincerely,
Maria Angala, NBCT
For those who haven't started yet, don't let technology leave you behind. Learn to create, communicate, and collaborate with a blog!
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