Blogs for All! (Taking the Hoard out of Hoarding)

I am a hoarder.

Not an “A&E” type hoarder where you can’t even walk through my house because of the garbage and cats; more a collector of stuff. I have my favourite sweater, essays and books from high school in my office. I have French textbooks that I keep in case I ever teach French again. I have a folder full of thank you cards that I never look at as I had once planned. I have pre-Jack and post Jack clothes. I have so many clothes in fact, I fill a huge chest of drawers all to myself. I also keep knick-knacks. If you gave me something at some point, chances are I still have it. Watching the show Hoarders really helped me find out where the need to “keep” comes from: I want to keep the memory attached to the item.

If you have read my blog before you know that I collect ideas too. I read and reread books. On my nightstand now I have four books going. One is a self-help, one a mystery, a non-fiction and a corny teenage romance. I like to collect opinions. Much to the chagrin of the people I love, I am continuously seeking advice and opinions. I guess I like to have the opportunity to hear another perspective.

Keeping all this in mind, I’m sure you’ll understand a niggling fear that came to me during my pregnancy. Here comes a third person to add to the accumulation of STUFF. How will I edit his clothes when he grows out of them? Or the pictures and writing he creates as he progresses? Surely, I will be able to part with most of his stuff as he moves to different stages in his life. Guess what? Once a hoarder, always a hoarder!

Now as a teacher, I am inclined to keep rather than purge. Add to that a little man creating paintings, sketches and word art (okay at 17 months it is really just scribbling at this point) and I seem doomed to live a life suffocating in STUFF!

Enter George Couros aka SuperPrincipal. He is a Technogeek/Principal with a mission. George introduced our schools to the idea of blogging and blog-folios. He asked us to start blogging with our classes and later assigned the students personal blogs. The idea behind this initiative is that each student is able, with guidance from their teacher, to store both draft and showcase work in a digital form. This can then follow them throughout their academic career and become a portfolio they can share with others.

I jumped in with both feet. What you are reading is my personal blog. I also maintain a class blog and help my students with their posts. What an awesome way to collect without the mess of a big collection.

HOLD UP!

Yesterday, it occurred to me that I could take the hoard out of my house. I took my baby’s first piece of artwork and created his own blog. Yep, my baby has a blog! Now does that mean I am going to throw out all his beautiful pictures that will inevitably come home? Nope. But should they get lost or ruined, I won’t weep. I will just log on to www.jackdallinger.wordpress.com and there will be pictures, dates and reflections to help my memory! George also put an app on my iPhone (Soundcloud) that will record Jack’s reading (when he gets there) and his babbling and I will be able to easily put voice clips on his blog.  I remember hearing a record (yes you read that right!) of my dad and his sister at Christmas performing for their gifts. I was amazed. I can’t wait for Jack to have that same experience.

Some might think it is overkill or maybe even over sharing, but I am thrilled that we started Jack’s blog so early.

I guess this means I’m becoming a digital hoarder.