For any school administrator who has ever had something come back to her which wasn’t anything like what actually was said or happened, blogging is a solid communication tool. On my last two posts, readers can see where I received a comment from Nancy, a reader who was clearly ticked off about a change to the summer reading program, which had not actually occurred.
I had the opportunity to write a post which clarified my thinking a bit and I hope gave her the facts. The other obvious benefit is that it also clarified my thinking for anyone else reading who had heard what Nancy had heard. I gained from the knowledge that this “rumor” was out there and could respond quickly. Would I have preferred that Nancy just come and ask me what was up with the summer reading program? Sure. A face to face conversation would have been great. But there isn’t always time for that, all members of our community aren’t always willing to say what they think F2F, and sometimes it just festers with no conversation at all. I love that I got to hear from Nancy. That I had the chance to respond, at least for those who read G-Town Talks.
Did Nancy’s comment that criticized me for not caring about the older students sting? Absolutely. I thought, “how can she possibly think that of me?” But it also gave me needed information. I now know that at least one member of our school community thinks I’ve abandoned our high school students. I’m not sure I can fix that misconception, but now I’m aware of it and I can try.
There was one other problem with the comment though. I’m not sure who Nancy is and for the purpose of the blog, it probably doesn’t matter. The comment came so quickly (within 12 hours) to any conversations about the summer reading program that it had to be from someone in the district or very close to someone in the district. We only have one Nancy who works here who would have been privy to the information. And this Nancy did not write the comment. I know this because the Nancy in district has commented before and I know her address but I also know it because we spoke directly about it. The problem is that our Nancy can’t really say, “hey! That wasn’t me–on the blog, for every reader who thought it was her.” Well, she could, but why should she have to? The relative anonymity that’s available in a blog comment can sometimes present these types of problems. When people aren’t clear on who they are, sometimes we assume it’s someone else–a case of mistaken identity. That’s why my comments are always left with my full name and address, so I can own them.
I’m still glad Nancy commented–since it’s all about sharing information and learning from one another. We’ve certainly learned that we can’t say things once and assume everyone gets it. The more opportunities we have to communicate more effectively with our students, teachers, parents, and community, the better. Just like good teaching, that needs to take different forms for different folks.
You give a perfect example why communication is so important. In order to avoid miscommunication, there needs to be communication first and I admire you for opening the door for this. If you hadn’t taken the step to do this, people might not be willing to share their opinions. People should realize that doing this blog is way above and beyond the call of duty and I hope everyone around you appreciates it! I wish we had administrators like you in my town! Thank you for caring.