(A quick starting note: the mentor blogs and their posts featuring these math bloggers, along with all the prompts for blogposts, are archived here.)

I’m ready to declare the Math Blogging Initiation a success.

How do I know? In week 4, when people were submitting their posts, I asked “”Have you gotten anything out of this experience? If so, what is/are the things you took away?” The responses blew me away (some of my favorites in red):

Yes, I’ve learned more about Modeling, SBG, and gotten dozens of lesson ideas–all that in only 3 weeks or so!!

I have been paying more attention to what math teachers are blogging about. In these blogs I have gotten many great ideas that I’ve already used with success in my class. I feel like the teachers at my school are great teachers, but we all pretty much do the same things. It’s rejuvenating to get new fresh ideas that work. I’ve also enjoyed being able to share my thoughts, it helps me to reflect expand what I’m doing.

It helps to know you are not the only one beginning this practice. You have connected us to each other. Thank you!

I received an email comment from a person who found my Week Two post about the Beat the Teach game.  Not only did they used to live near where I currently teach, they had been looking for a long time to find the game I had posted about and were excited to find it on my blog. I found it very rewarding to receive that feedback, especially hearing that I was not the only teacher out there who enjoyed the game I posted about.

There is so much to learn from the online community!

This has been awesome! Thank you for all the time and effort you put into it!! I’ve rediscovered my love of writing and experienced how fulfilling it is to share my thoughts with others. :)

I took away a lot of ideas, the kindness of strangers, and the feeling that I might still be useful in the world. Biggest idea? It doesn’t matter if anyone reads the blog or not. Sometimes it’s just a relief to write and post.

Guilty! I skipped week 3 due to classroom set up and first week trainings. :)  The writing prompts have been great. Thanks!

Most definitely. Some things: Best PD ever. Asynchronous and free. Desmos. Blogging greats take time for others. There are wonderful math teachers out there. A world of connectedness that the uninitiated hardly know about. And I’m basically shy and have to get over that, so I can be a part.

I am definitely a blogger now.  Every time I write a post, I’m thinking about new things and then I get awesome feedback in the comments as well.  Thanks for making me do this.

Motivation for one.  I’ve been thinking about blogging for a few months now and when the this started I knew it was now or never. Also, blogging is a great reflective practice, even if nobody else ever reads my posts.  I’m seeing that more now. Thanks again!

I’ve learned about some pretty sweet other math teacher blogs. It’s great to see what other folks are up to.

Your prompts have made me look deeply at my beliefs about teaching and learning, so, yeah, I’d say I got something out of this experience. Thanks.

I have learned so much from all the math bloggers out there. Everyone has such interesting and valuable approaches as well as perspectives. I look forward to my growth by being part of this sharing community.

Thank you so much for jump-starting this for me! I have found a voice that I did not realize I had, and realize even if no body reads, writing is theraputic. I hope I can contribute to this world I have been lurking in for the past few years!

The prompts that you have given us have been so useful, and this experience has really helped me start my blogging journey!

My brain is on overdrive and this makes me very happy! The community of mathematical enthusiasts (and my attempt to get myself noticed by them) is definitely the best part of this project for me. I have made a few G1 buddies on Twitter, and a few G2 buddies through reading their blogs and/or them reading mine. I’ve found some ideas I’ve been able to use directly in my classroom, such as INB’s and foldables, and a cool poster or two. It’s really validating to have people you’ve never met read your blog, comment on it, refer to one of your posts on their blog (and tell others to check it out), and perhaps most amazing of all, to have someone add your blog to their blogroll. Wow! Boy, do I want to be able to make #TMC13!

I got over (or mostly over?) my hesitance to blog – and I even commented! I’ve been a long time lurker, and it’s so nice to feel more like a contributing member of this amazing society of educators!

Yes…I probably would have abandoned the whole thing once I was sick, but I kept going so that I could get the 4th one in on time!

Writing is therapeutic.

Absolutely. It’s nice to feel like you’re not the ONLY one reading your posts. Lol.

He pushed me to write when otherwise I would have felt too busy to do so. And it’s gotten me in touch with some other teachers in the mathblogotwittersphere. I’ve learned so much over the past six months or so by using twitter and reading blogs. It has been a great experience.

I thought deeper about how to deal with a misconception.

A small school like mine doesn’t provide for a lot of interdepartmental, professional discourse. Being in touch with other math teachers through the blogging world is a huge help in my ongoing efforts to become a better teacher

I teach one section of language arts so I appreciate how writing clarifies one’s thinking. Blogging forces reflection and doing it weekly “”forces”” me to reflect on my practice. Also, the feedback I’ve received has been incredible. Even if no one reads and responds, a blog is like an open journal and I’m leaving a small footprint.

Courage! I felt so encouraged and welcomed to join the online community and I know that my teaching will only continue to improve since I joined and am now sharing in these valuable conversations.

Yes, four weeks in a row of regular posts.  I hope I can keep the motivation to continue posted about once a week or so.

That producing a post feels really good. That writing for an audience, even if largely imaginary (put potentially real and willing to give feedback!) is more satisfying and more constructive than writing purely as a private reflection. The accountability factor is immense. And the looming sense of possible connection with other mathteachers is really appealing.

I am so happy. I love feeling free to geek out and talk about what I do and read that others want to talk about curriculum and teaching.

The post that I shared was not supposed to be my post for Week #4! I wrote (and published) a different, mopey post.

The reflection that the public mope entailed, and the feedback I received, inspired me to get my act together, and try something new. I reflect on the something-new in the post that I submitted. Feeling so much better!

I really enjoyed reading comments on my blog…it is just a little booster for me :)

Just happy to join the community.

I really appreciated have the step by step instructions on the software needed to do this. I feel that I am off to a good start. Thank you so much!!!

Thanks for giving me a reason to blog.  Seriously.  I think about blogging now, something I’ve never done before.  I crave page views.

I want to continue doing this. I think for the most part, it has made me even more connected than I was. I have been reading blogs for a while, but I never participated. I guess I want to become a part of the community in math blogging and twitter (i know there is a name), so I am just trying to find my place within that.

I just have found so many other blogs to follow and connect with. I also have recieved a few more followers of my own. This is exactly what I wanted-to expand my connections to become more a part of this math education community.

Yes! Even though I’ve only blogged 3 times, I feel more reflective about my day to day teaching. I often think about things I would blog about, how I would say them, etc., even if I don’t actually end up blogging about them. I like the prompts, and I hope to keep using them in the future. I also feel more comfortable writing for myself and not just for readership.

Sometimes you write something you are super proud of and like 3 people read it. Sometimes you write something random and for some reason bunches of people read it. It’s hard not to be disappointed about one and excited about the other, but in the long run it is just important to write.

Well the prompts and a deadline kept me blogging when I probably would have quit after the school year started. And subscribing to the rss feed has immersed me in so many interesting ideas and thoughts about teaching math. It is like one great big PLC that I love being a part of.

Finally joining in the conversation, the fantastic conversations that you guys have all the time and I was just watching from the wings.  I look forward to contributing throughout the year and hopefully gaining some readers!

A jumpstart on exposure – some motivation to post once a week (which is my goal)

Well,  I am not teaching this year which feels strange.  I truly enjoy blogging and I have thought about blogging about other things, but then I am consumed with questions.  Should I blog about other things on my math blog?  Should I start another blog?  Is it worth the time?  I am surprised how much I enjoyed blogging but how long it takes me!

I am taking with me, the joy of blogging.

Think “outside the box” every once in awhile when it comes to forming blog post ideas.

This initiation really got me posting a lot, and reading more than ever! I love seeing what everyone else is doing in their classrooms and for their students.

The Blogger Initiation was a great way to get introduced to the mathtwitterblogosphere.  It would have taken a lot of effort to establish this many connections on my own.  Thanks so much for all of your hard work.  Already, I have connected with potential collaborators, and am closer to my goal of producing something that will be useful to all of us.

I have “met” a lot of different people and started creating my online PLN. I have already seen so many awesome ideas and I’m and pushing myself to be a better, more creative teacher.

I feel like I’m part of an awesome community now. Thanks for running this!

I’ve met many more second year teachers who also teach algebra 1 and 2. I’m not the only one, and that has helped me. The feedback from people’s comments has also been really useful.

Additionally, week after week, in my “Anything else” box on the page when participants submit their posts, there were continuously really positive comments. I should probably copy some of them here, because they made me MELT,  but I’ll just let you trust me so I don’t have to dig around for them!

Also, I asked what doing the initiation has been like. The responses of those who made it to week 4:

And if those who submitted to week 4 would continue blogging:

For those who made it to week 4, A+. Double unicorn rainbow points for you!

PS. Stats from Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 below:

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