Whither Blogging?

As has happened a number of times in the past eight months, I find myself wrestling with the purpose of this blog. Blogging has become like going for a run after a month of not running. It is really hard to get back into a groove, and I am not even sure what my new groove should be.

Do I jump into conversations that this year’s Public History class at Western is having? Perhaps I should stick to the discussions and challenges presented by the digital historians I try to read regularly. Should I seek out K-12 teachers blogging about many of the issues that I am coming into contact with as a teacher candidate? I did start a second blog on education, but I can’t help but think that it might be easier for my audience, which because of my absence from the blogosphere has likely dwindled down to a few hardcore readers, to read just one blog. On the other hand, a different blog might be a more appropriate forum to discuss my upcoming practicum in Syria or my challenges with teaching Chemistry.

The one question that overshadows all of these considerations is: “Why blog at all?” Indeed, my motivation to publish my reflections online deteriorated rapidly after my Public History coursework was completed last spring, and the moments that I have found to actually reflect and write have been few and far between since I began my B.Ed year. Yet the professional value of maintaining a blog has not diminished in my eyes. There have been numerous occasions where I have thought, “This assignment could easily be turned into a blog post.” My “Blog Drafts” document has grown into a fifteen-page long stream of consciousness that could be converted into brief flashes of brilliance if I ever found the time to get back up to date.

I welcome any thoughts on how I should continue to blog. Let me conclude this stream of consciousness by setting out a renewed direction for my blogging: Both Humility in History and Humility in Education will be maintained in order for me to continue wearing both my Public Historian’s and Educator’s hats. While I cannot promise that my posts will be regular after this next burst of writing, I can promise that I will continue to do my utmost to provide genuine reflections on what I am experiencing, reading, and learning about. Where I deem it appropriate, I may even publish the same post on both blogs, but in general I will keep my comments in each blog geared towards my intended audiences.

Time to get to it!