Thirteen Things I learned While Blogging for Education Week
This is the 500th blog I've written as the Teacher in a Strange Land, for Education Week Teacher. As it turns out, it's also my final blog for EdWeek. I'm leaving because it's been nearly nine years since I started, and because I want to write, especially in this political cycle, about other things in addition to education.
I have to note that Education Week Teacher has let me write about anything I wanted, year after year. They've been diligent about promoting my blogs. They've fixed a lot of my wonky blog titles. Best of all, they've paid me to write--something most teacher bloggers only dream about. I genuinely appreciate the opportunity and hope that there are always outspoken teacher bloggers writing for Teacher.
Thanks, Education Week. It was a great gig, but it's time for the Teacher in a Strange Land to ramble on. Look for the same name in a new site.
In the meantime, here are 13 things I learned in the past nine years of observing and writing about Ed World:
1. The largest (and nicest) part of my audience has always been teachers. I've had long, fruitful dialogues with teachers, including those who didn't agree with what I wrote. Parents also read the blog and often express strong opinions. I've almost never had a comment or exchange with a school administrator, however. Probably this is because the blog is hosted by Education Week's Teacher division, and school leaders are most interested in policy and management. Their jobs and reputations depend on different issues and metrics than the issues that most concern teachers. Closing that gap between teachers' and school leaders' commitments and enthusiasms would, in my opinion, lay a greater foundation for education that works for all kids.
2. Any blog with a number in the title will draw more traffic. Doesn't matter what the topic is--or even the size of the number. Two Reasons to Talk Back to Your Principal? Thirty-seven Things Your Legislator Needs to Know about Your Classroom? Somebody wants to know. Because numbers.
3. Writing a blog speculating about why 80% of the K-12 teacher workforce is female, but only about quarter of the best-known and most-followed education bloggers and thought leaders are women will make people angry. And when I say people, I mean men.
4. Until lately, what teachers were most interested in, blog-wise, was pragmatic advice and ideas about practice. My most-read blogs were about things like parent-teacher conferences, five paragraph essays or back-to-school tips. Lately, however, my readership on education policy and political-themed commentary has spiked upward. Can't imagine why.
5. Of all the topics I've addressed, the one that's consistently drawn the most heat and long, link-laden commentary is education for the gifted. Most of the ire and arguments boil down to parent anger over the fact that public schools seldom have enough resources to treat very bright children differently from their peers--and the trend toward public education spending for all groups has gone in the wrong direction.
And since this is the last chance I'll get to say this here... I still believe the best education option for gifted children is a sharp, caring teacher (or three). I subscribe to the idea that 'gifted' is a Continue reading: Thirteen Things I learned While Blogging for Education Week - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher