This marks the 5th post of my #MTBoS30, which is continuous daily blogging that began with @crstn85 ‘s post on April 1st.  There seems to be a similar set of blogging taking place simultaneously using the #AprilBlogaday.  I’m not sure whether or not these two things have ever been brought together.  Seems weird that these two events have yet to have any kind of cross-promotion.

#AprilBlogaday seems like the bizzaro Seinfeld episode of the #MTBoS30.  It seems like it centers around a list of prompts that are updated reguarly on the #AprilBlogaday Google Sspreadsheet while #MTBoS30 keeps things open for bloggers.

It looks to have been started by another person whose name starts with ‘Chris’.  Chris Crouch (@the_explicator) spread the word early in the month with a number of calls to action tweets like this one:

Blog writers coming from across the educational spectrum have been joining #AprilBlogaday, leading to a wide diversity of potential posts.  #MTBoS30 is focused on the awesomest of subject areas, and with that leads to more depth and focus on a certain topics.

Moving forward, I think I will incorporate some of the #AprilBlogaday ideas into my blog. Given how often I am short on ideas for posts, I think I may use some of the #AprilBlogaday prompts with my posts, but I must stop short of committing to join that movement as I am already knee deep in other people’s #MTBoS30 posts that I need to catch up on. Regardless of that, it is still inspiring and invigorating to see educators reflecting online.  Here is my first attempt at using an #AprilBlogaday prompt

#AprilBlogaday Prompt 4/1:  Are you where you thought you’d be?

It is weird to look back at what I used to think.  At each point in my past, I had dozens of thoughts about the future.  Most of those thoughts made were ridiculously off-base (like hoverboards), but looking back on it, I have traveled the road that I could have predicted. Past Carl would be pretty happy with my current job because, as a boy, I always wanted to work in a big city and wear a tie to work every day.  When I decided to pursue a teaching career, it was born from a desire to get better at something that was hard.  While I haven’t mastered it yet, I realize that I probably never will.  In reality, the opportunity to wake up each day and try something new only to go to bed each night thinking of tweaks that can still be made is a version of what I desired from this profession.

Of course all my predictions have not come true.  I didn’t predict I would still be teaching 5 years after getting an Administrators license.  After 10 years of teaching I predicted that I could confidently and effortlessly teach any topic to any student, or domesticated animal. It is kind of sad to look think about why you aren’t where you “should” be.  These things may just be part of larger stories that are playing out. The struggles with my career shortcomings may be valuable in what I learned.  My struggles with meeting girls in my teens (and Twenties) made me quicker to realize how that my girlfriend, now wife, is really special.  Perhaps these career struggles will make push me to fight harder for things looming in the future.

What is really important for where I am is closing doors on things that need to end.  I am glad to say that the time where I would not go to NCTM, not reach out to other math teachers, and otherwise hide in my classroom.  In fact, where I am now, I am disappointed that I am left alone to do what I please, as I instead wish for an environment where people are all collaboratively working together to grow and get better.  Right now, I am looking to quit a number of things that aren’t working to make me a better educator.  Hopefully this whittling down process will be the most important action I take today to get me to where I want to be tomorrow.

5/30