• Jennifer Laffin

On Sharing Your Practice: You are Already 'Expert Enough'

Do you have a practice in your classroom that you would like to write about and share with others, but don't because you think you are not 'expert enough?'

Maybe you think, "Who would want to read what I have to say? I'm just me, doing what I do in my classroom, day in and day out. I'm not qualified to write about it."

Here's the thing -- All of those other teachers who wrote the blog posts, journal articles, and books that helped you build your teaching practice were once sitting in the exact same place you are right now.

They were unknown to others outside their school, but they thought they had something special and wanted to help others learn about it so that they could be better teachers too.

There came a point when they decided that they were 'expert enough' so they wrote about their idea and launched it out into the world. With a lot of hard work and some traction, their ideas spread and were absorbed by more and more teachers, thereby benefitting more and more students.

Think for a second -- What would have happened if all of those teachers kept their good ideas to themselves because they didn't consider themselves expert-enough to share them? How much learning would YOU have missed out on? How about your students?

If you have a classroom practice that excites you and your students and gets results, there are others out there just waiting to learn about it. I guarantee it.

You do not need any special degrees, certifications, or permission from the imaginary Writing Police to write about those things that work for you and to share them with the world.

  • Start a blog

  • Draft a journal article

  • Fill out that conference proposal

  • Start writing up an outline for a book

You never know who needs to read your words.

You never know how many students could be affected when their teacher reads your work and implements your ideas in their own classroom.

You never know how many crucial conversations could be had around something you created.

You never know how much more YOU will learn and discover as you clarify your thinking through the act of writing.

So what instructional practice has created amazing results for your students? Write up a conference proposal.

What's your secret sauce for building community and creating connection in your online classroom? Sounds like a book I'd like to read.

What mentor texts, science activities, or math games have engaged your students and increased their capacity for learning? Why not blog about them?

Exercise your brave muscle and put your idea out there.

Because you never know.


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