A Change Would Do You Good

Last night was our open house.  I will be perfectly honest and say that normally, this is something that I don't look forward to.  In the end, I always have a good time and am happy with the turnout, but the preparation for and anticipation of open house usually stresses me out.  For the past few years, I have created brochures and hand outs, art projects, packets, and some pretty impressive flipchart pages to dazzle the audience with my techno skills.  As I prepared for this year's open house, I began to think about the years past and realized all that "stuff" is what makes me not excited for the event.  Students and their familes come into the room sit at desks, fill out paperwork and then listen to a "speech" I have prepared, followed by a Q & A session.  In reflecting on this, what I have realized is that I have been talking AT people and not talking TO people.  There's a big difference.

This year, I kept it low key.  I didn't feel the need to dazzle.  I didn't think of the people coming as an audience, but rather, as friends.  I had a blast!  I had conversations with people.  I met new people for the first time and reconnected with families from the past.  I got to talk to former students. No one even sat down.  Not a piece of paperwork was given that needed to be filled out before people left.  This year, my room was an open door where people could come and go as they pleased and then come back again if they wanted to.  This year, open house was FUN.  It was what I had always wanted it to be.  I left last night with such a positive feeling.  I thank everyone who was able to come, whether it was to introduce yourself, to ask a question, or just to say hello.

Now that my oldest son is in school, I am getting my first taste of what it is to be a "parent" of a "student."  It is overwhelming and has given me a whole new appreciation for all the incredible parents I have met over the years.  You have all helped to shape me into the parent I want to be for my boys.

Chasing dragons with paper swords,
Mr. Fletcher

Back in Business

It seems like forever since I made my last blog post.  My original intent was to take a break for the summer and start fresh with the new school year.  However, each day I found myself wanting to write something on the blog and then decided not to because I thought "Who would read it?"  Because of this, I spent a lot of time thinking about the direction this blog has taken and where I want it to go. 

When I first put this blog together, I had these big dreams of putting things out there and having people respond to them through posts.  Afterall, the few blogs that I follow daily have hundreds if not thousands of followers and hundreds of responses to posts that have been made.  That is what I kind of envisioned taking place here...maybe not on that scale since I keep the blog relatively private, but followers of the blog reading what I wrote and then responding because they wanted to and not because I told them to.  This is the case in the posts that I make the kids respond to.  I found myself getting extremely frustrated because I would always have people say to me, "I really enjoyed your last blog post."  My first thought would be, "Then why didn't you leave a comment?"  I know, it sounds really snotty.  What I then realized is that I do the exact same thing.  I have a few blogs that I follow daily and I have never left a comment on them.  Never.  I enjoy reading each new post and applying it to my own life, but not once have I ever responded to the creators of the blogs I follow.   What I now know is that the number of comments people leave is not what makes a blog successful, but the number of READERS!  After all, isn't that what makes all authors successful?  I have read hundreds of books and have never written a letter to the authors with comments about the books, but that doesn't mean that they had no impact on my life.

So, enough with all the philosophy and let me put the snotty little "me" to rest.  A big thanks to anyone and everyone who has ever read this blog.  Readers are what bring validation to writers and that is the message I try to instill in my students everyday.  I will keep writing.  The kids will keep writing.  You...keep reading.   Please don't think that you must leave a comment....the fact that you have read this is more than enough for me.

It's no good
when you're misunderstood,

Mr. Fletcher