Blogging Renewed my Passion for Writing

By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Thursday, October 14, 2010 11:05 AM

I started a blog.

There, I said it.

It’s not that I am ashamed, but it feels weird telling people about it.

It’s self-indulgent and probably needs some editing, but it’s been a pretty great experience so far.

At this point, you are probably wondering why I am making this confession.

I didn’t have to tell a soul.

I am sharing my little secret because writing the blog has relit my passion for writing.

For years, I’ve taught writing. I’ve read about writing. And I’ve even written a few columns here and there. But along the way, I lost that passion about my own writing.

I told myself it was because of time, because of the children, because of sleep-deprivation.

I eventually ran out of excuses and thought the passion might be gone forever.

But it wasn’t.

Now, I find myself searching for a few minutes to write. Just 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. I even call my work phone and leave myself messages about ideas that pop into my head while sitting in traffic.

I don’t post to my blog every day. And I don’t really have a theme. But I do tell stories about me, my wild children, my sick sister, my life.

And once I started telling those stories again, the passion came back.

So tonight as I went to check on my blog, I thought, “it’s time to share.”

I don’t want to share only the blog. I want to share the passion.

We all teach writing. We all read tons of writing every week. But how many of us are writing?

Carol Richtsmeier, the adviser at Midlothian High School, started a blog more than two years ago, and it is thriving. She’s won accolades and admirers for her wit and insight into the world of teaching. (Carol’s blog - http://mybellringers.blogspot.com)

Much to the chagrin of his mother, Bobby Hawthorne jumped on the blog bandwagon earlier this year. (Bobby’s blog - http://bobbyhawthorne.blogspot.com)

Andrea Lorenz, a new adviser at Dripping Springs High School and former professional journalist, created a fantastic blog about scholastic journalism. (Andrea’s blog - http://www.jclassnotebook.com)

Our friends and colleagues are out there doing it.

We should, too.

I know all of the excuses. Trust me, I have used them all of them.

Push those excuses to the side and give it a chance. You don’t have to write about journalism. You don’t even have to write lengthy posts. Write about what you love. Maybe it’s cooking. Maybe it’s quilting. Maybe it’s sports.

You may never amass a large audience (I admit, most days I only have two or three views), but I bet you will gain something much better than fans. You will remember the joy of writing.

And if you can recapture that joy, wouldn’t that be great for your students?

How do you do it?
It’s not too hard. Andrea and I use wordpress.com. Bobby and Carol use blogspot.com. There’s also typepad.com. All these sites are free, and there are many more out there.

My blog is public, but you can make yours private (members only). It’s completely up to you.

Do a google search and find the site that suits your needs best.

Be smart
I do a have a few words of caution. Be smart about what you post. Don’t write about anything that you wouldn’t want your principal, parents of your students or your students to see.

An elementary teacher in Austin ISD recently resigned after she blogged about her students. Apparently, she wrote about individual students, using their real names. She also apparently posted photos of her students without parental permission.

Fortunately, you are journalism teachers. Understanding what is appropriate and what is not is an integral part of your classroom. You understand the power of words because you spend months and years teaching your students about ethical behavior and privacy laws.

“Obviously caution and common sense should apply when considering what your write about, but keeping a blog should be considered an asset to teaching, not a liability,” Andrea said.

P.S. For those who are interested, my blog is twoturtlesgreyhare.wordpress.com. But remember, it’s totally self-indulgent and all about me (and my family).