Feedback is A Gift! by Melissa Tran #30Goals

Part of the series: The 30 Goals Challenge, Goal 4: Support a New Blogger

30 Goals participant, Melissa Trans, joins us today to share how Goal 4 impacted her experience as a new education blogger. I hope this post inspires you to complete this goal. You never know realize how much your support helps educators new to blogging!

Thank You!

I am betting that I’ll write on variations of this topic over and over again but today I just want to say “Thank you”…”and you’re welcome!”
Like so many of you, I have recently stumbled upon the most amazing professional resource I’ve ever found. Actually, it’s a series of resources that seems to continually expand – ripple, domino, pick your own cliche’ but this thing has got legs! I’m sure some of you have guessed that I’m talking about Twitter, #edchat, Tom Whitby’s The Educator’s PLN and the never-ending extensions that seem to be sprouting from each of them everyday.
Here’s an example. Recently, @ShellTerrell, who is a true phenomena in my book, (but that’s another entry), sent a tweet asking all new bloggers to retweet and give their web address with the hashtag #NewEdBlog. I complied, not knowing why, because… well, it was Shelly and in a few short weeks of following her on Twitter, I’ve learned that she is constantly up to something good.
Shortly thereafter, I got a message from @cybraryman1 who is truly a super hero with a link saying he had put my blog on his blog‘s page for parents. WOW. Amazing. He had ME feeling a little like a superhero too! But that’s not all.
You see, Shelly has been issuing challenges for educators through her tweets and blog, Teacher Reboot Camp, and it seems that one of the challenges was to support a new blogger. She listed my site, along with those of all of the others who answered her call and that leads me to Marti and Wildcat Teacher.
But first things first. I could see from my stats that loads of people visited from Cybraryman‘s and Shelly‘s sites and that was really exciting and motivating. But a couple of people actually posted comments, and Oh-my-GOODNESS what fun! After reading Wildcat Teacher’s post I was all kinds of jazzed and motivated to finish several of the half-finished pieces I’ve been not working on… and then I read Marti’s comment.
Marti posted on my piece about “Teaching Gratitude” and shared that it had prompted her to take an activity that she uses in the classroom home to her own kids. She called it a “Rubbing It In” board and it’s a great idea that reminded me of and prompted me to share one of my favorite strategies for teaching gratitude with you. You will find instructions at the end of this article. It will work like a charm, and you’ll love it – I promise.
But before I started writing about that, I did one more thing – I followed the link to Marti’s blog. You should follow it too: From the Sides-lines. Her “Goal #4, Starting a Blog” is not only fantastic, but it is what inspired me to write down what I’ve been thinking – about how reciprocal this whole process is – the tweeting, and chatting, the blogging, and reading, the thinking. commenting, sharing, acting on it all and passing it on to our students. WOW.
I’m feeling pretty fortunate and… grateful right now, and so to Marti, Wildcat Teacher, Kim, Shelly, Cybraryman, Tom Whitby, and all of the other PLN-ed-chattering-tweet-and-blogging-educational-inspirations out there – you’ve got my mind spinning, I’m stretching and growing more than I have in ages (and I already stretch and grow more often than the average bear!), and it is all just so exciting and SO MUCH FUN! So thank you, thank you so very much.
And… you’re welcome too. Because I’m going to do my very best to contribute and give back in every way that I can. You can thank me later. ;o)
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Melissa Tran has worked with youth at-risk and at-promise for nearly 20 years, as an advocate, counselor, and teacher. She has been a leader and developer of both programs and people. Melissa’s expertise is in remedying problematic school cultures and driving initiatives that lead to more productive community and school dynamics and has been recognized as an expert in enlisting young people to become part of the solution. She is now a Consultant, and focuses on making schools more positive places for kids to be. She is currently competing to win the chance to produce a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network that features young people and is called “Kids These Days”. She tweets resources to help parents and educators reach, teach and engage the young people in their lives via @thenewtag and her blog, The New Tag.
Challenge:
Help a new blogger! Here’s a list or you can follow the hashtag #NewEdBlog.