Thing 3

A blog is so beneficial in many ways, especially for an educator. As I was looking through the Best Teacher Blogs, I was reading all these different posts about teaching methods in the classroom, funny stories from teachers, and just some very useful information pertaining to the area. It would be great for me to start a blog because I could document my travels through school, student teaching, and getting my first job. It is an opportunity to share you stories, your struggles with children, parents, etc., and offer up some inspirational enthusiasm to help other know how magical working with children can truly be. 

In my future classroom, I could use a blog to put up assignments that students and parents can access at home. I would also have the opportunity to post information and maybe pictures (parent permitting) of fun activities, science experiments, and field trips that happened throughout the year. That way, parents would be able to see first hand what we did that day, and what we were going to be doing later in the week. They would be able to comment with questions or concerns. It would allow the parents to get actively involved in their children's education, especially those who work during the day and are not able to volunteer. 

Thing 2

Writing has been a huge part of my life for the past five years. My Bachelor's degree was in Communications with a specialization in Sports Broadcasting and Print/Web Journalism. Although I have always done a pretty good job writing throughout my life, it is not something I necessarily enjoy. However, that took me doing it for several years to realize that. I have completely several blogs for classes, as well as writing articles for The All-State newspaper at Austin Peay. I was the Sports Editor for The All-State as well for several months right before I graduated. Reading, however, is something I enjoy tremendously. To me, there is nothing better than losing yourself in a good book.

My blog name is 23 Things on Things and that is mainly because it was the only mildly but not really clever thing I could concoct on such short notice. But it seems to work and I am happy with that. My blog address is theresarogersblog@blogspot.com so that is not really interesting at all, but easy to remember. My experience in creating this blog was decent. I wanted to find a design that was fun to look at and flowed somewhat well. At the same time, I wanted something that represented the colorful side of me that isn't always represented in person.

My avatar is something unique and is definitely not accurate to my actual appearance, as I am not a true wizard. But I am a huge nerd and I wanted something that portrayed that side to me. My husband and I for years have collected comic books, we are huge Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, LOTR, Harry Potter, Marvel, Firefly etc. fans and it is splashed all over our home. But we are very happy that way and it keeps us young and playful. So once I realized that I could make my avatar a wizard, I thought it was fitting. And then I decided to add a dog because my welsh corgi, River, is honestly one of my best friends. She is the most amazing dog in the world and I love placing her anywhere in my life that I can.

Thing 1

The habit displayed in the 7 1/2 Habits of a Lifelong Learner that I portray the worst is "Have confidence in yourself as a competent and effective learner". I tend to be that person that always labels themselves as "poor test taker" and I don't have confidence in my own knowledge and experience. But I know I can complete my work and I can complete it well and effectively. However, in the back of my mind, I always doubt my skills and I show others that doubt. But as a future teacher, I want to learn how to show my students and other teachers that I am confident in what I know and what I am capable of.

The habit that I think I grasp the best is to "begin with the end in mind". This wasn't always something that came easily but after going through college for my Bachelor's degree in an area that I thought I wanted to pursue, but truly didn't, I had to remember not to discourage myself because I was now a little behind in my desired career of teaching. Rather, I started to see it as an investment in my future, both mentally and financially (because student loans are so fun). That way I reminded myself that it is better late than never to get started on what you love doing. I know that my career at the end of this will be so gratifying and worth the stress, which ultimately makes me less stressed and worried along the way.