Thing #2 - Honest to Blog

How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog?

As suggested, I included my last name, and went with a first initial to keep it somewhat anonymous for the online community.  Everyone loves a mystery!  (Tune in next week for the dramatic conclusion!)

What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why?

Posting things on the blog is cake.  It’s figuring out how to manage the templates and customization options that makes me cry inside.  Overall, it’s been a pretty enjoyable blogging experience thus far.

How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why?

Of course, I attempted to make my avatar look as much like me as possible, though there was no option for some super-ripped muscles (kidding!).  At any rate, I just think that your avatar represents you, so why shouldn’t it look like you?  As for reflecting my personality, I gave the ol’ avatar a fat stack of books to read, since that’s one of my favorite hobbies, everything from classic lit to modern sci-fi.

Thing #1 - Lifelong Learning and Learning 2.0

I would consider myself a lifelong learner; I decided to become a teacher in largely due to the fact that I continue to enjoy gaining new insights, as well as varying opinions and viewpoints on a slew of topics, especially history and literature.  I feel that it is a shame when people graduate from school, be it high school or college, and essentially say to themselves, “Well, that’s done!  Now I don’t have to learn anything else!”  (I know several people who seem to have adopted this sort of attitude.)  I live under the impression that finishing school merely marks the beginning of a person’s self-guided learning experience.  After graduation you are, in some sense, on your own.  This concept can be liberating in one of two ways- you can see it as freedom to learn what you want, how you want, or else you can see it as freedom from learning in general.  Personally, I find those people who need constant prodding to learn something new to be in great need of a change in perspective.  It is my hope to be a valuable and effective agent for change in perspective among my future students.

In regards to the 7 ½ Habits, I feel that my strongest habit is my ability to have confidence in myself as a confident, effective learner (Habit #4).  I have always enjoyed school (not necessarily homework), and thanks to the support of my parents, friends, and past teachers, I have always felt capable and encouraged.  Conversely (and perhaps ironically), my weakest habit has historically been #3, the ability to view problems as challenges.  This is something I have been personally focused on for some time now, and while I feel that I have made great strides towards my self-appointed goals in this area, I still feel that this is the field with which I would like to maintain focus towards improvement.  There’s always room to grow, right?