The Thought Behind Educational Blogging

Educational blogging can be an effective tool to have in a classroom setting in order to connect with others, talk about important topics and keep students and families up to date. This type of blogging is used for educational purposes because it can support student and teacher learning through reflections, collaborations, questions and engagements for higher level thinking. Many teachers and students participate in educational blogging in order to practice skills of communication and conversation as well as develop more analytic thinking. Benefits can include self expression, delivery of news to families, ability to be creative, improvement of writing and communication skills, and sharing resources and information to others. Some challenges can also arise with educational blogging which could be inconsistent posting, copyright issues, forgetting to use or update pages, or poor writing skills. Overall, educational blogging can be effectively used in the classroom if it follows appropriate guidelines and is used as a helpful tool rather than one that is quickly forgotten. 

A student is explaining her blog to the class,
so there can be a group discussion on the topic

Blogging for educational purposes can be used for families outside of the classroom as well. Families tend to stay curious about what their children may be engaging in when they are at school. I was able to learn more about parental involvement from my peer. Parents can raise their children a certain way which can be reflected in the classroom. Communicating with parents and guardians can help build a relationship with these individuals, so that way they can feel comfortable to address problems or ask questions. Teachers can also better understand their students behavior, background or home life when relationships are created with the parents. This information can give the teacher new ideas on how to work with a certain student or what resources they might need. In addition to this, I learned that when parents are more involved in the classroom, it can show the child that they are loved and that their families care about their work and learning at school. This can boost a child's confidence in the classroom and I definitely felt this way when my parents were involved with my school and class. Classroom management can be an important topic to think about when focusing about what to include in your curriculum. This is related to how a classroom runs and operates on the daily. One of my peers touched on the idea that when many think about the idea of classroom management, ideas of rules, directions and teaching strategies tend to come to mind. I was able to quickly realize that although these are important aspects, classroom management also focuses on ways to improve student learning and work through behavior, materials and activities. This is definitely not an easy thing to master right off the bat, especially since different students may have a variety of needs. One type of classroom management may not work for everyone, so it is important to be flexible in case something needs to be adjusted. Teachers need to remember that it could take a few tries. Looking at all that teachers do to incorporate interactive activities and helpful resources for students to utilize, it can be upsetting to think about the low teacher salaries in America. Educators help guide people to be successful in their future, so I learned that it would not be possible to have doctors or lawyers without teachers. Many teachers end up leaving their careers because they do not feel respected, even though it is an extremely important job. Teachers put in an immense amount of effort to support their students, so even as a student hoping to enter the education field, it is scary to think about the current salary issue! Being able to compare teacher salaries to a $10 an hour job, if each child in the classroom was equivalent to $10 an hour, I learned that this could add up to $252,000. That is a large amount of money, especially since Tennessee educator salaries are averaging to $50,000. This emphasizes the idea that teachers are not paid enough for all the work that they do. 

I have not been a huge blogger myself. By making this blog, I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to express my thoughts on certain topics that I find important in the education field. I have found myself reading blog posts in the past whether I was looking for certain information or just curious about the topic. I have been able to feel creative with my words and practice ways to appropriately communicate beneficial information to the public. On the other hand, I have faced worry about if my audience disagrees with my blog posts, however, blogs can be used to create effective discussions! I think that blogs are a helpful tool to include in the classroom for teachers, students and families to utilize. Blogs can be an easy way to locate information that is important to be aware of whether it is a recap on what is happening in the classroom, important topics to learn about or upcoming events on the calendar. I would like to use a blog myself to connect with those outside of the classroom, but I think that my students could also benefit from blogging themselves too. This could help them express their thoughts and opinions while practicing writing skills. Blogs can be used to create a group discussion, so everyone could feel listened to and heard. If blogs are commonly used and appropriate to all, I believe that this is great platform to incorporate in the classroom.  

The Importance of Mental Health Care

Mental health can be something quickly forgotten by children, especially if it is not commonly talked about in schools. Many children seem to worry more about physical health because they can easily describe their pain level or illness, but they may not understand what he or she is going through when it comes to mental health. Mental health care is defined as services that are made to treat health problems related to our emotional, social and psychological well-being. This type of health can influence behavior, how an individual handles stress, relationships and decision making. The importance of mental health care is extremely strong, especially since educators or students may not know the extent of what someone is going through. There is a great deal of help that can be done when a child or family speaks up about an issue, but if nothing is said, poor outcomes could occur. The average age of people who suffer from mental health illnesses is around 14, but sometimes these individuals do not seek help until adulthood. This leaves them suffering all throughout their time in school, which is why this is extremely important in the education field. Students may struggle in their academics, constantly miss class, dropout, suffer from poor relationships with others or face anxiety when coming to school, so we need to be aware of the need for mental health care in schools. 

A girl is dealing with a mental health
illness, but feels alone and by herself

Even though this can be extremely sad to think about, I believe that a large portion of students around me are going through something that I will probably never be made aware of. I have always been told by my school counselors and family members to be nice to everyone, but just saying this may not get the point across. I have experienced mental health issues before, and this was because of the bullying that I faced in high school. Bullying and cyberbullying can have a long lasting effect on someone that many may not understand. When I had a hard time in high school, I did not want to attend school myself. I went to an outside doctor for help because I felt alone in my own school, even with the adults as well. I took health classes in high school, but I felt like the main focus was about diseases or illnesses like cancer, allergies, heart attacks, common cold, HIV, etc. I honestly do not remember much said about mental health. Counselors worked in my school, but the only time I saw the office truly packed was during class scheduling for the next school year. This may be another reason why many children feel nervous to go to the counselor for personal help or do not know the extent of students around them that are struggling mentally. I think that mental health care should be addressed more in schools and the counselors should actively meet with the students to check up on them and build a relationship. This could help create a more positive environment and give a student confidence to address their stress, situation or illness. The statistics of mental health are higher than many would expect, so I think that this needs to be talked about more in schools, so everyone can know the importance of being kind to others is. If mental health services are made readily available and are commonly talked about, then this could help a student with their academics, behavior, relationships and decision making moving forward. 

The World of Cyberbullying

Bullying can be prevalent in many schools through physical or verbal harm. In addition to this, cyberbullying is another form of bullying that can happen daily. Cyberbullying is defined as bullying through digital technologies. It can be seen through social media, mobile messaging, video games and other platforms too. This behavior is normally repeated and has a goal to shame those behind a screen. Some forms of cyberbullying include rumors, fake accounts, sending harmful messages or videos and the list can, sadly, go on. Cyberbullying can differ from bullying done in person because bullying online leaves a footprint that can be used as proof of abuse. The importance of cyberbullying in the education field is that this type of bullying can be constantly revisited. Students could quickly feel ashamed of themselves and face issues like anxiety, depression, and anger. When students start to feel these emotions, academic performance can be affected. Long lasting effects can come from this type of bullying, and if it is not treated, then students could perform poorly in their academics or maybe even drop out. 

A young girl is looking at a hurtful
comment said about her online

I believe that cyberbullying happens more often than face-to-face bullying. Nowadays, technology is very commonly used in the classroom and everyday life. It is easier for people to quickly comment on a social media post, or make fake accounts while they hide behind a screen. Directly saying something to a person can be hard to do, especially since a good amount of communication is done through technology too. Even at a young age, children are starting to incorporate technology into their daily lives which can open up the door to comments being made through a video game or messaging platform. It can be hard to understand the tone of voice through a screen as well, so something might be easily taken out of context and defined as cyberbullying. I have been a victim of cyberbullying myself. I specifically remember a post that I made about cheerleading on one of my social media accounts and I got a large amount of hateful comments. Cheerleading has always been a passion of mine, so reading the hurtful comments about something I love and the people I do it with, was nothing short of upsetting. Reading mean comments or receiving nasty messages can be just as hurtful compared to if it was said in person. I think that cyberbullying needs to be talked about more in schools, so children can feel confident to bring this issue to life and get help from those around them. 

Safety in Schools

Schools all around the world face a range of hazards and threats that can be closely related to how safe the children and staff feel at school. Safety in schools is defined as school related activities that are set in stone in order to protect children from bullying, violence, substance abuse, harassment and more. When schools are labeled as safe, they usually are actively promoting both physical and emotional safety of all students whether it is through security systems or constant counselor check ins with students. School safety is extremely important in the education field because this can be related to academic performance. Students who are victims of physical or emotional violence in school are more likely to fail, suffer from poor attendance or dropout. When a school environment feels positive and has easy access to help if needed, emotional, social and mental problems can be likely reduced. 

A police officer gives children high fives 
in the hallway. He is protecting the school.

When I think about school safety, Columbine comes to mind. I was able to visit this school memorial in Colorado which opened my eyes to how important safety in schools is. No child or staff member should ever face the possibility of violence occurring when they come to school. In addition to my immediate thought of school shootings, bullying, harassment, physical abuse, and digital issues are just as important. I have been fortunate enough to attend schools that have been quick to respond to any type of issues that happened. Counselors were readily available to assist in positive communication, anger management and conflict resolution, so that children would feel safe emotionally and mentally as well. In sixth grade, my middle school faced a bomb threat phone call. I immediately started to panic as a 12 year old since the fire alarms were pulled and the whole school evacuated to the nearest elementary school. Even though this was a fake bomb threat, it was not something to ignore. Firemen came to look in the school and all of the children were picked up by their family members. My schools have luckily always had locked doors all around, so visitors can only enter through the main lobby. This reduces the possibility of violence to occur in the school. Since I have experienced these events, I am more aware on the importance of school safety because school should be a place where students can learn and grow without the fear of violence. Families put trust in the school to keep their child safe and have them return home at the end of the day. Safety should always be a priority rather than just a thought.