I love the blogring. I love the feeling of community (its a bit like being in Coronation street!) and the support and virtual hugs and stuff. I also really enjoy reading others accounts of their day and the educational stuff too…. Buuuuuutttt,
I have been wondering of late whether I should be on it with this blog really. For several reasons:
1. Not a great deal of HE happens on my blog. Part of this is the fact that the children are preschool age anyway, part of it is that the route we are currently looking to follow is pretty childled and often hard to quantify what has been learnt / taught / educated.
2. I don’t think I am ‘giving anything back’ to the HE community at large with it. I can’t think that anyone would be reading my blog and thinking ‘well it really really works for them, maybe I could do that’, I don’t think I am offering any sort of inspirational ideas or plans to help others with HE. The only thing I could appreciate I am doing is helping others feel better when they have a crap day and worry about whether they are doing the right thing and be able to perhaps compare themselves to me and feel better about what they are doing – none of which I am really comfortable with.
3. Finally I worry that we don’t really know who reads this. I am not concerned that what I have blogged will ever be used against me in some sort of courtroom drama scenario for a school attendance order or having my children taken away or anything that dramatic, but I also think that in terms of HE I don’t always show my true passion, committment and belief in it here and I worry that I do it more harm than good. The blogring can be accessed by so many people and stumbled across and while I don’t worry too much about who is reading it, or even if they are sympathetic or supportive to HE I do wonder what image I am putting across under the blatant banner of ‘HE WEBLOG’
Does any of this make sense? Many of the blogs are so much better at being good advertisements for HE, offering links, ideas, lesson plans, hints and tips on what works and what doesn’t etc. I am not fishing for compliments here as I know plenty of people read – and comment – and seem to enjoy what I do blog, and I would continue to blog in the exact same way and be accessible to all those who currently read it – I am just pondering whether I should be part of the blog ring.
What do others think?
Well, I’m happy with you being part of the blogring. The main idea of it in my mind is to be a supportive community for us – you are very much a part of that. Anything else in the way of a positive advert for HE is a bonus for all of us – not sure that mine does particularly well that way anyway!
Um, childled is good and what I’m aiming for as well (so my child sometimes wants to do worksheets – who am I to say no? 😉 ), it’s a valid approach, and I’m sure that you *will* be sharing hints and tips as you go. Go back a year on those blogs that existed a year ago – there is rather less education on those with younger children, it’s not a problem.
I agree! About to get chucked off the ‘puter so can’t write more now – will do tomorrow!
Well, I’ve come off right now partly for that reason, in that I feel I have nothing to say that I want to be that public. I don’t mind you lot coming to see me, but I don’t want the passing surfer to find me, particularly. If they follow a link, I’m not bothered, but I don’t want to be in their face. And I certainly plan on changing the name of mine, which has been bugging me for ages anyway. When I buy web space and wordpress.But one of my blog worries right at the begining was that I specifically DIDN’T want it to be a “how to”, or even a “this is how we”. It was just about a bit of a community, a hobby for me, and a way of keeping in touch. I put HE stuff on it, but in a sense, because it was part of who we were, rather than the reason for doing it. Does that make sense? It just so happened that the thing that had brought us all together was the fact that we HEed. And I do think the ring itself has changed recently, so I feel its less that, and more an “HE ring”, and I did feel that even blog members were probably looking at mine thinking “what’s that all about then”. So – I think I know what you mean, but please stay. I like the HE is just in there with the rest of life approach, if I’m honest.
Thinking on 🙂 To be honest, there is something about being a public face of HE which makes me uneasy as well. I don’t think we are obliged to do that. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to put people off, and I do lots of stuff as a contact here IRL, BUT I don’t feel any need to spread the word really. I like HE (most of the time) I’m happy to tell people about it. But i don’t feel that I (or Hannah) needs to be an advert for it. Which is just as well, atm, probably 😉
I think you should stay on the blog ring 🙂
You mayl ; not have officially school-aged children, but you’re already doing something different in that you haven’t sent them off to nursery or playgroup. And it’s interesting reading what you’ve been doing! I think your passion and commitment *does* come through, very much so, btw.3
I do know what you and Joyce are saying about not wanting to be a public image of HE – my blog wasn’t on the ring for a long time after I started it, due to precisely those kind of concerns. But then I decided it’s better to show as many aspects to HE as possible rather than the ring being full of lesson plans, lol 😉
lol, my comments were slightly rat-enhanced there!
a) please,don’t go (Aerosmith) ?
b) please don’t go (Pearl Jam) ?
c) please don’t go (Stevie Wonder) ?
d) What song does “The Blogring” come from?
Mmm, Joyce has said what I think, I think! I guess I’m quite happy personally, in that I started my blog before the ring was created, and I know I’d keep blogging without it … so – leave the ring if you like, but keep blogging!! (But I don’t think you should leave!)
Noooo keep blogging! You are a valuable member of the blogring, I love reading your postings 🙂
I was never going to stop blogging (hell I’m so addicted I often walk round composing my next blog in my head on what we are doing at the time 😉 ) just whether it ‘qualified’ to be in with HE blogs under the tenuous link of us being a HE family but with very little HE stuff going on. Joyce has really summed it up well for me (Thanks Joyce 🙂 ). I think I will start to do a paragraph or so a day on what we have done educationally – we all know that we do stuff each and every waking moment, perhaps I would feel better if that came over more, and then I can get on with my rants about utilities suppliers, discussions on which tea we drink and posting pictures of my kids!
Alison, I think your rat comment had my more rofl than Tim’s ! The rat needs a blog! (especially as I can’t get into ratcam) – infact it is probably a really scientifc educational experiment – my Dad always used to quote something about 100 monkeys being given 100 typewriters and eventually coming up with the complete works of Shakespeare or something (probably horridly misquoted!) – maybe the rats could come up with something similar!
Tim – it is of course from the song Blackadder sings when he is drunk and wearinf plastic tits in Blackadder 2 ‘ see the little blogring, see his little feet, see his little nosey-wosey, isn’t the blogring sweet!’.
Nic, it used to be true that people believed that if you had an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number of typewriters, one of them would eventually write the works of Shakespeare, now we have the Internet so we know that isn’t true.
Must tell my Dad that – he will find it hilarious! 🙂
Isn’t the Blogring about to be made in to the film. ‘If you join this Blogring in 1 week you will orgo-plan.’
I live out side the ring and let me tell you that water’s lovely.
Well, we were in a similar position in that we didn’t used to do that much. I still don’t think we do, it’s only cos Marcus has showed interest in reading that I am feeling like more of an HE’er iykwim. I have kids similar age to yours and I have felt exactly the same at some points. But the others have made good points. You are still part of the community and I would hate for you to leave :o)
Having just reread all this today, I am giggling away to myself about “Many of the blogs are so much better at being good advertisements for HE”, and wondering if I dare ask which are worse! ROFL!
maybe we could have a league table Alison!
Oh, there’s a project for Chris if I ever heard of one!
Just because many are better it does not mean any are worse! Perhaps some are just on a par 🙂
Nope – I claim the bottom spot this month. And don’t any of you argue with me either!!!
we wouldn’t dare Joyce! ;o)
rofl Joyce – but you could claim top spot whichever month it was you wrote that piece on dyslexia and reading – now *that* was an inspirational moment!
Nic, it does make so much sense. And I find myself composing blog entries too, lol. But heck, I can go one step further… I’ll compose my post *before* it’s happened. And then of course it doesn’t happen quite how I composed it, so I have to change it slightly. Or majorly. (Is that a word?) But it gives me something to aim for.
pmsl @ Barbara. I would love to say I don’t quite go that far, but sadly I have to admit I do! This is turning into a right group therapy post isn’t it? I’m Nic and I live for Blogging and eat cheap liquer chocolates @-)
ROFOLPML Nic – as usual I haven’t been reading the blogs that much in the last few days so I always miss the good convos – you are not allowed to leave the blog ring on pain of death. I must have the bottom spot on my blog at the moment (sorry Joyce) because I sound like a stuck record with Little chicks non-verbal output LOL I certainly do not see my blog as a ‘look at me this is the way it should be done ROFLOL just at the thought. Your blog, however, did get me to start up my own blog so it must be doin somethin LOL I see from today’s post you tried the ‘educational paragraph’ and it didn’t suit you. It’s OK Nic just keep doing it as you did before as your writing just flows that way – it’s OK because I think I can safely say that we can all read between the lines LOL I’m in the same situation as you with the pre-HE stance but we are just proving that HE happens from day one 24/7 and not just when you reach 5. Keep up the good work.
Aw thanks pal 🙂 Actually you are right, I had not thought about the fact that mine and the other preschool age never been to school and been institutionalised blogs do have that to say for themselves. I guess the whole learning from day one in an organic way instead of lessons or timetables is a whole other way of demonstrating HE working for a family.
Well I think all the replies have put me back firmly in my place (as part of the blogring) so I’ll worry no more about that one, and you’re right, the pulling the educational value out of each and every thing simply doesn’t work here so I’ll put a speedy stop to that one too:-)