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