A very good place to start

Did you know that the word blog is short for ‘web log’?

That factoid is just one little thing that I’ve learnt today.

I love learning.  I see it as an essential tool, a right and a joy.  I will turn to these concepts regularly within this blog, as well as others that are concerned with education and learning.  I am also interested in those holistic aspects of education that are often forgotten in our high-accountability system.

I am beginning this blogging journey on the cusp of joining a new course that has been offered to educators at the further education college in which I teach.  I haven’t done a certified course for a few years now and am experiencing waves of excitement at the prospect of ‘learning something new’.  However, I am experiencing what I perceive to be less-than-positive feelings towards this blog, most of which concerns my apprehensiveness at writing it.  I’ve worked in a variety of roles in education since 2000 and with learners at all levels from early years to tertiary.  Everyday has been a learning day within the different contexts and in relation to the different professional relationships that I have been involved in.  I do consider myself to be a very reflective practitioner, but much of what I have written about my professional experiences has been for an audience consisting of my tutors, mentors and managers.  Now, by pressing the 'save & publish’ button, my words may be read by members of the general public, professionals and others within my sector, including experienced bloggers.  This is scary stuff – exciting, but scary.

So, thank you for joining me as I take the plunge!  Hello and welcome to my blog, dear reader.