Before I blog....

It is with some trepidation that I embark upon this blogging exercise with the Y11 Language and Literature students from FDR. It sees me undertaking a transition from being a face-to-face presence as someone who guides students' thinking in the classroom to being an ever-present digital reality whose words will be read and scrutinized by anyone who wishes to follow me. As we take the step to creating online publishable profiles it is both exciting and intimidating to think that there is now a real audience and that in the electronic age what we write will leave a digital footprint for all-time.

So, the question is, why take that risk? Well, certainly since my time as a student and for many, many generations before, students have been asked to undertake spurious writing tasks which will never really see the light of day. Be it an imagined diary entry from a character in a novel; a persuasive letter to the town's mayor; or a travel brochure for any given literary setting (I told you they were spurious!), students could at best hope for some critical feedback from their teacher, or, more often than not, receive a mark out of ten and the piece is then forgotten about. In a best case scenario, the persuasive letter may actually get sent, or the best poem may get published in the school magazine, but that means that only the top percent of a class actually receive the rewards that come with being a bonified, no-questions-asked, published author!

With this exercise, everyone gets the chance to have their entries read and reviewed. You'll have to think carefully about the content of your work as everyone can see it but that also means that you will be able to benefit from (hopefully) stimulating comments from your peers. At the very least it will get you guys writing. Whenever I have been lucky enough to listen to an author speak, or have read an article about writing, one of the most common comments is that getting started is the hardest thing. In the most positive scenarios, I really hope that your blog expands to be a domain you take complete ownership over and that expands organically beyond what is asked from you in the classroom.

I am looking forward to taking this journey with you so let's get blogging...!