I think I’ve learned a lot this semester about educating young students, especially in developing their literacy. Of course, that’s not hard considering I knew absolutely nothing about emergent literacy before this class! It’s easy for me to say, “Yeah, that makes sense. It’s so obvious!” or “Teachers should do this and this, etc, etc, etc” because I haven’t been in a classroom, or in my case, a library. I’m thinking in ideals here. However, reading everyone else’s blogs has given my a sort of vicarious experience in teaching emergent literacy learners. I’m a literacy peeping Tom and these blogs are my window! (OK that was a little creepy, but anyways…). More on the community of learners later. I feel like this class has given be a basis for teaching and an understanding of emergent literacy that I wouldn’t have gotten if I wasn’t required to take this class : ) I’ll be able to take what I’ve learned and apply it in my library. As far as my evolution as a blogger is concerned, I don’t really know. I was never a blogger before, but I was an English major, so unfortunately I’m a little wordy. So maybe blogging doesn’t come as natural to me as say, a paper on homoeroticism in Sam Mendes’ American Beauty (oh yeah, I went there in a paper), I think it is an amazing way to reflect on one’s learning and one’s practice. Blogging is a place where you can vent, brag, ask for help, or just reflect on the awesomeness of little kids, and there is a whole community of readers out there who is ready to listen (figuratively), advise, and agree. Even if I’m not the best blogger, I like how I can reflect on my learning, ask questions, and not have to worry whether that sentence was a run on is very liberating. Furthermore, people can comment on my ramblings, which I find very helpful since I don’t have a classroom/library of my own yet.
The best part about this blogging experience was being part of a community of learners and teachers. I think Blair put it best in her blog: “I had no idea how many contacts I would make, how much support I would receive, how much I would learn about others and how blogging would connect me to teachers all over the world… professional learning communities on a totally different, laid back, personal level.” Blogging is non-threatening. I feel like I can put a question out there, and someone, somewhere will have the answer. This particular blog connected with my classmates, but blogging in general connects me to people around the world! It’s nice reading about a teacher’s success story with a struggling student, and, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just relieving to read about a teacher who has the same problems as you do. Misery loves company after all. Fortunately, there’s a whole world out there to help you out.
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