Comments to the Principal
Joyce Hooper is the principal of J.H.House Elementary School. The name of her blog is Principal’s Quest. Her blog opens with this strong statement:
I’m a principal on a quest to learn more about weblogs and how they can be used with the students and teachers in my school.”
What’s really special about this quest is that one of the students in my weblog group last year created the spark that got Mrs. Hooper actually blogging. I had talked to Mrs. Hooper about blogging, encouraged her,and pointed out all the ways it could help students and educators. They could have voices and improve their writing and thinking. I said what a difference a principal could make by blogging. She agreed but never got around to it. It took Angelica’s enthusiasm about weblogs to really get Mrs. Hooper blogging herself. Student voices can bring about lots of good things! Read the empowering story on the principal’s first post ‘On a Quest.‘ Then think about the importance of student voices. Mrs.Hooper continued her thinking on another post, ‘I Think I’m Going to Like Blogging.’
“I think I am going to like blogging. It’s another forum to include students, teachers, parents, our business partners and the public. I want my weblog to be interactive.”
And that brings me to the heart of this post, the comments feature on blogs. The combined voices of student, faculty, staff and others outside the community interwine to make this blog truly interactive. And just think, the blog is meeting curriculum objectives in a way that makes character education come alive, not just a weekly word of the week that’s read over the intercom in the middle of ten other announcements. Character education is getting top billing in a blog and the kids are talking about it. Plus they are finding real life applications to think about and then make comments that they know will be read. They love writing to their principal and they love having a voice.This is getting longer than I meant it to be but I couldn’t close without giving you a sampling of a few of the comments on her blog.:
Martha, a student, responds to a post about consideration…….
Amanda, a girl in my class didn’t have paper and I gave her like 10 pieces.
Martha
Bob, a blogger outside the school community comments……
Keep up the good work. I like the tone of your posts. It’s positive and optimistic. Thank you for taking the time to express those values.
Bob
Mike,a student, wants to be heard and is able to express his frustration ……
Well I am a part of the SLT and the SACS commitee was supposed to come and talk to us but the meeting got canceled. I felt so un important and let down. I felt like I was not important enough to even have an adult conversation with the SACS commitee. I am so mad that just because I am a little kid I have a little mind because I don’t. P.S I am very intelligent.
Mike
(The above post was in reference to an evaluating committee visiting the school and Mike wanted the chance to share his knowledge about his school. He had a place to voice his feelings. I agree with him -he is very intelligent!)
Kerri, a student, applies the meaning of the word perserverence……
Dear Ms. Hooper,
I was thinking about what you said and the teachers have a lot of perserverence. They get up in the morning and come to school and teach us everyday.Kerri
A third grade teacher notes how two character traits can collide…….
Hi
Mrs. Hooper.
Your last 2 posts about initiative and self-control remind me of one of my students. This student has lots of initiative but almost no self-control. They are constantly on the lookout for things they can do without having to be asked but when they find something they jump up and do it immediately whether its the middle of class or the middle of the street. I just had the thought that initiative without self-control can be as much of a hindrance as a help. Great weblog by the way. Mrs. Davis is helping 3rd grade start our own and we’re really excited about it.
Now I haven’t read ‘The Wisdom of Crowds’ that Will posted about here. I plan to but I just have to think that blogs like this in elementary schools could be great building blocks for the beginnings of this wisdom of crowds phenomenon.