I recently rediscovered a Blogger account I have no memory of creating it (back in 2009!). It was my first attempt to make my writing practice public. I was very hesitant to say much and there is no record of my name or personal information linked anywhere (one more reason it was easy for me to completely forget it existed!).

After that, I began to go back to my first blog posts written here, back in 2012. I am rereading my posts to edit them (such as taking out the second space after each period!), to add links to relevant, more current posts, and as a reminder to myself. It’s been a fun journey to read the first thoughts I was willing to make public when I began this blog.

One idea that really stood out to me as I reread my former posts, was how I developed mindfulness habits before mindfulness became my focus word of 2015. It was clear that during my doctoral journey, I was stressed out and out of balance. I began seeking that balance and I believe that led me to choosing mindfulness as a focus. Many of the habits I developed as far back as 2013 are still with me today. I still maintain a professional leadership journal. I am still passionate about social justice and love what I wrote in this mentor text post!

It’s also been a sad journey in some ways. Some of the posts I wrote four year ago resonate as much today as they did back then. While it is nice to think I’ve put words out there that stand the test of time, it is disheartening when those words were reflecting on some necessary changes I hoped to see in education.

I could let this trip down memory lane put me into a depressed funk over the state of education today, or I can use it to fuel my current work. I blog because I have something to say and I want to interact with other educators around the world. If more educators were reflecting and blogging about their work, maybe the progress we’ve made over the last four years would be more evident. We still have a long way to go, but I am proud to be surrounded by many dedicated colleagues who are striving for equity for all students, more creative, interactive lessons that engage kids, more time for teachers to let their passions drive their instruction, and a greater focus on life after high school for all students.

If you have a blog of your own, I encourage you to go back to the beginning for some rereading and reflecting!