The Beginning...

Ok, here I go, jumping in feet first, holding my nose, hoping I’ll survive and not drown………..

In this thematic year of “Around the World in 180 Days” technology has been the main focus of our learning here at Chets Creek Elementary School. Wikis, blogs, twittering, the ning, all of it is zooming past this 55 year old guidance counselor at mach speed. I sit in leadership meetings feeling like I am in the baby pool just sticking my little toe in the water while everyone else is easily swimming the Atlantic Ocean of technology. I love the ocean and have finally decided it is my time to join and jump in. After all, I do the polar plunge on New Year’s Day every year-how much harder could this be?

I have been thinking about my own blog for months now. I wanted to start at Thanksgiving and write about the amazing blessings that start to encompass our campus at this time of year. The wonderful women at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club collect food and put together Thanksgiving dinner baskets for some of our most precious families. Every year their donations increase and more lives are touched through their generosity. Yet, I could not quite get started…

This spirit of giving continued on through Christmas as our students brought in over 1,000 canned goods and numerous toys. Many of our own families were the recipients of these donations as well as the community organizations of BEAM and Connections. Blessings came back to the giver as our business partner, BJ’s donated $1,000 to the school for the 1,000 cans we collected. The true meaning of the holiday was certainly celebrated at Chets Creek. Surely a guidance counselor could blog about this. Still I hesitated...

The perfect New Year’s Resolution…start my own blog post. January is the time to think about renewal and taking on new challenges. For the first time our principal sent out her end of the year survey in December. She asked for our reflections on the first half of the school year and for our goals for the last half of the year. I bravely wrote down, starting that blog, but you know what they say about good intentions...

Here it is February and still I have not made any progress. Is it fear of commitment? Having to write and post information periodically? Is it intimidation from all of my cohorts that are excellent writers and post weekly blogs that are read around the world? Could it be that I feel like I have nothing so worthy to write that anyone else would want to read? Perhaps…

What is so different about today? It’s the baby steps I have taken so far with a big push from the geek goddess here, Melanie Holtsman. First she helped me set up a Google account so I could read other blogs. This was soon followed by the creation of my very own iGoogle page. Then it was topped off with 70 Face book friends and a new addiction. All of this easily accomplished by the person who cannot even operate her boyfriend’s TV remote control. So now I am finally ready to dive into the world of blogging. Here I come….

SPLASH! Bits of Betsy is born!