Sep

24

So tell me who are you?

September 24, 2006 |  Tagged , | 6 Comments

When you meet someone new, do you take the time to get to know them? I’m thinking of the way a conversation goes, where each person takes turns asking and answering questions, sort of an even exchange of information or ideas.

In many ways, blogging isn’t like that at all. I realized this at a meeting of about 30 area educators on Thursday morning. An area staff developer, Theresa Grey, formerly known to me only through email, mentioned that she reads my blog regularly. I have to tell you that this felt really strange. Here’s someone new about whom I know nothing  and she has real insight into my thinking (if I’m doing a good job at all) through my blog posts.

It made me wonder if she has preconceived notions of me through my writing. And what are they? And what does she think about similar issues?  It made me think again about audience. It reminded me of the risk I take sharing my ideas with others in such an honest, open way. It also reminded me that there are others who would never consider doing just that, revealing themselves in a public way and probably think I’ve got no business keeping this blog. I thought of a conversation I had with Will Richardson when I started this blogging gig where we talked of an audience that I didn’t expect. And what will future BOE members think should they read “me” someday when I apply for superintendent positions?

Clearly, writing honestly in a public manner takes some guts. But hey, that’s what the rest of this job takes too, so let’s get on with it. What do you think?


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6 Comments so far

  1.    Amy on September 24, 2006 5:47 pm

    I’ve worked with, for, and around many principals – 15 to be exact. I wrote down all of their names and placed a checkmark after potential bloggers, there are four checkmarks on my paper. Four principals out of 15. Four of the most respected, sincere, and driven principals that I have had the privilege of working with. Four principals who motivated their staff and energized their student-body, who looked beyond their power to empower others.

    Those principals without the checkmarks were bosses, not educational leaders. CEO’s of children and dictators for staff, they made work just that – work. For creative teachers it always turned into a challenge to make learning fun while trying to keep quiet about it. If you stepped out of the structured environment, without the bosses permission, you were not seen in a positive light.

    The principals with the checkmarks encouraged educational exploration, helped to problem solve, and tried to stay positive (even on those really crappy days).

    Your blogs are risky because of your honesty. You are a principal with vision who has made positive changes in a difficult school. Your blogs are a clear indication of who you are and for those BOE members who negatively judge, well…. it probably wouldn’t be a good match anyway. You’ll be scooped up by visionaries who appreciate talent and — really — isn’t that the type of board you would work best with anyway?

  2.    Gerald on September 25, 2006 5:24 am

    I hadn’t really thought about this issue, mainly because I have not yet had the experience of many people who have read my blog, and none that I did not already know.

    That being said, I think that blogging (and the other aspects of the Read/Write web, can move us away from the typical, social confines of relating to one of true collaboration — where it is the work that really matters and the working together.

    I used to work for an international bank as a project maanger for software development projects. I had colleagues in London and in India whom I spoke with almost daily and with whom I exchanged email multiple times per day. We were definitely working together. It was always interesting, and sometimes strange, to finally meet them. I think this was because prior to meeting, it was the shared work that mattered and once we met, it was something else that moved to the foreground.

    In no way am I saying the social does not matter. I am only suggesting that collaboration is somehow different.

  3.    Theresa G. on September 25, 2006 10:46 am

    Hey Kim!
    Didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable at the meeting but since you put me out there I thought I would respond. I am new to this whole blogging thing as well – and worry about how others might perceive me and my thoughts about education. I did not get to attend Will’s sessions at HSNF as I was with Silver and Strong, but our team at School Improvement has shared and we have talked about ways to what we we do better!!
    One thing I am noticing – and am wrestling with – is the comments. I put things out there – yet sometimes there is no response. I know it is being read (I am tracking views using some software) but I feel alone. Have I offended someone?
    I created my writing blog
    and the professional reading blog
    to increase collaboration across the time I meet with workshop participants and across the region. The second blog is done with a counterpart at a nearby BOCES. Yet response is slow…..what can I do differently?
    I try to post comments to others, or link to others when writing my blogs, as a way to build our virtual community. I fear I have not done enough!!
    So – how do we bring the outside in?Perhaps this is a question for Will when he returns!!

  4.    Crystal on September 25, 2006 11:29 am

    Today, I realized that I have a student blog, that other teachers are beginning to comment on. I didn’t think that would happen. I thought that Kim would take interest in what my students and I were doing, and would comment from time to time, but there are actually other people who are blogging on my site. It’s exciting!

    I wonder how this will change the way that my students write on our blog. I’m hoping that they will continue to find it a safe place to share ideas, and at the same time, I’m hoping that it will encourage them to think more about what they are writing, since it is no longer just for me.

  5.    Steve Poling on October 2, 2006 11:17 pm

    Hey Kim,
    As always, it is a pleasure to read your posts. I chewed on this one for some time because this is often in the back of my mind. First, I think that blogging is a powerful way to communicate thoughts and ideas. I would have given anything if I could have read my principal’s blog (if they existed back then) when I was going through my principal certification classes. What a great learning tool. Second, I am acutely aware that students, parents, staff, BOE, and future employers could read my blog. It clearly affects the things I write or don’t write; which is ok for me because we always have some type of filter on our words (or blogs) anyways. I would doubt any principal just says or writes whatever is on his/her mind without giving consideration for appropriateness or audience. It just depends how thick the filter is, I think. Your last comment on being a superintendent in the future, which I would like to do as well, made me think that blogging could even be a p.r. boon as a savvy BOE could find us on the net if searching for a new superintendent. What do you think?

  6.    Kimberly on October 4, 2006 4:04 pm

    Hey Steve, thanks for commenting. I wonder if any BOE’s in the future will google us and what they’ll think about the blog posts, if it will make sense to them. As Amy states in her comment, it’s not a bad thing for a BOE to have insight into our thinking. If what I’m saying here is way off base for an interested BOE, then we wouldn’t be a good fit anyway. Largely, as principals and moreso as future superintendents, our business is ideas. Ideas in education, an exchange of thought in planning and negotiating, hearing others, researching–sounds like blogging. Maybe the blogging is good training in and of itself, encouraging us to adequately express our ideas to get things done.

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