Summer Reading

Along with the books we read for our summer reading, all I also read this one. A friend of my mothers who used to be a librarian gave it to me as a gift and I didn't pick it up until about 3 weeks ago. I love it, its really great to sit down with it and read for a while here and there because whenever I read it I am reminded of why I want to be a teacher. I havn't made it through the whole thing but for anyone who is interested you should check it out.

Blogging in the classroom

I read a couple blogs, the "Sartorialist", as well as "Garance Dore", I like both of these for the photos and the crisp layout and the no fuss writing style. I look to these blogs for inspiration and I just really love to see how people all over the world are using fashion to express themselves. I think blogging is really useful for the purpose of communicating ideas locally and globally. I know for myself, sometimes it takes time for an experience to generate exactly what I want to say about it. This is where blogs become very useful and necessary. Writing can be like a form of meditation; its a place and a time when you can wander through the avenues of your mind without limitations or expectations and great realizations can emerge, or more simply just a sense of release. I like to write because there are moments when I allow myself to just be carried away by thoughts or mysterious musings. It's another world from the one I am in, but this world has no boundaries (except those of which apply to my knowledge of the English language). But even then, I recall two experiences which could bend these rules 1.) Whenever we would free write for the first 10 min of my high school English class the rule was that if you had nothing more to say just write anything, it didn't even have to make sense 2.) the 2 year old I watch does not speak English, nor does she speak Spanish or German or Russian, she speaks 'Caitlin', and it makes sense only to her. So what is the point of words that make no sense, or a language belonging to only one? Something very important is happening within that space, things are forming patterns emerging, and then thoughts awaken or images come to mind. For Caitlin she is practicing how to communicate, how to use her voice, and it does not matter that it makes no sense. She knows that in order to become a part of the human family, she must speak up and tell everyone how she views the world. Whether you choose to write or sing, or dance or draw-you are choosing to communicate something about yourself to the world.
Why people blog:
1.)boredom
2.)fame
3.)find themselves
4.) speak their truth
5.) create
Blogging in the classroom can be a very successful tool for teaching and integrating students with the collaborative nature of the internet.