I am one of those people that worry about everything. If you aren’t worried, I will worry for you. I really don’t voice my opinion publicly or share what I am thinking, unless I know the person very well and feel comfortable. Deep down, I am a very shy person and very afraid of ridicule. I have tried to change my negative thoughts and push myself to not worry so much. Creating this blog and having to share my feelings and thoughts publicly has really taken me out of my comfort zone.

When I started to think about Schoolgirl Style, I knew that I could potentially inspire teachers all over the country. Being able to help teachers and students enjoy school on such a large scale was very exciting! I wanted to take my talent and give back to the profession that I love so much. I won’t lie to you – I was very, very scared. Creating a blog meant that I had to “speak” publicly to the world! Of course, I was worried what everyone would think – I hoped that everyone would like what I was doing and also like me. After much thought, I decided that I couldn’t worry about people not liking me and that I needed to be myself. In order for you to get to know me, I couldn’t censor my personality either. My posts needed to be real and from the heart. I decided I had to overcome my fear of worrying so much, especially about what other people thought. I have learned to write and publish my posts without ever looking back.

This evening, I received an email from a reader who pointed out a grammatical error I had made in one of my posts. After going back and reading it, sure enough, I did make a mistake. Instead of pointing out the error in a positive way, the email went on to attack me personally and professionally. To be honest, I was in complete shock. I am also very hurt. To suggest that I might not be a good teacher is simply ridiculous. My worst fears just came true.

Am I going to stop writing? Absolutely not! Despite a grammatical error here or there, I KNOW that I am inspiring teachers. I have several emails from teachers telling me how excited they are to go back to school this year. I have teachers thinking about their classroom environment differently and with their students in mind. Do I think I am a bad teacher? Absolutely not! I KNOW the difference I have made in those 400 students I have had the pleasure of teaching. I have loved each and every one of them and they know it. I sat proudly as many of my former students graduated with honors this last spring, knowing that I was the one that taught them how to read.

I tend to write the way I talk. I write with enthusiasm and passion – the very things that motivated all 400 of my students. I teach with enthusiasm and passion. I love what I do. I love that I am inspiring others. I am not writing a term paper, an essay, or an action research project (by the way, I have done hundreds of these during my nine years of college and four degrees later). I am writing from the heart. I hope, you too, will feel that enthusiasm and passion in my posts! Thank you to all of my loyal fans and friends out there!

Melanie
xoxo