I started blogging after being inspired at a Pro-D event (CUEBC 2015 Conference) when the Keynote Speaker, George Couros, challenged us to make our learning visible by telling other what we learn on a regular basis, thus BlogEntry1-At-The-Beginning.  I began to formulate a way to show my learning on my website here and it’s been okay. I called it my Weekly Blog for which I made a weekly calendar appoint for myself on Friday mornings to be able to sit down and write for an hour. Well, my experience had been good at the outset, but then server issue followed by a full week of helping teacher work, family life and all distracted from my writing. Was I still learning something? Definitely, but I wasn’t sharing it with you here in this venue.

So back to my question, Why Blog? People blog for many reasons. “Why Blog? Should I Start a Blog? 34 Reasons You Should” has many reasons. Their first reason, “It helps you learn new things”, is my first reason to blog. Learning new things happens often for me, but having to report on that makes take the discipline from vicarious to intentional and requires my attention. Discipline in learning. Their ninth reason, “It challenges you” is another. Writing is on the shy side of my comfort zone and pushing myself in this uncomfortable direction will grow me as a writing. Will I write a book one day? Not sure, but my thesis for my MSc. was a daunting task but that was my first real attempt at significant writing, defense that I learned something while I worked in the la. Is this significant? To me, yes. To you, that depends if you are inspired to do something with what you read, if you read this at all.

I could go on about the importance of blogging but I’ll let you read it for yourself at the aforementioned link. Good stuff there.

I’m writing this week to apologize for not showing up. Apologizing to myself mainly, as I’m blogging for personal discipline and personal growth. “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing” (Harriet B. Braiker). I’m striving to be excellent at what I do and who I am. Perfection is impossible. Sometimes excellence approaches perfection but this ideal is unattainable. I’ll settle for excellence and serving those around as I learn.

Thus I blog. Thanks for reading this edition. Trusting I’ll get another entry out back on schedule but that may not happen. My schedule will be to share when I learn something and that may be weekly or biweekly.

Thanks @gcorous for your inspiration. One day I won’t be perfect like you (not saying you are perfect, but you got it together pretty good), but excellent in my own way.

Carpenter out!