365 Days of Blogging Glory

The Miss Rumphius Effect is one-year old today, so please indulge me while I reflect on where I've been and where I'm going. I started blogging last fall in large part because I wanted my students to blog. How could I possibly expect them to take on a task I hadn't attempted myself? So, to prepare for the spring semester, I jumped in. I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was doing, but I did have some great models (Libby and Heather). I started reading a variety of blogs before I actually began to post, in an attempt to decide what I wanted my blog to be. In my first post, I explained my choice of blog title. It took me a while to nail down what I wanted to write about. My posts covered a range of topics, from teaching and reading, to books and authors, to my son. Okay, so that's what I do today, though I feel like I'm more focused.

Starting a blog can be a lonely business. I was reading a lot of blogs, but rarely commenting. If it wasn't for Heather taking the time to read and comment on my posts, I would have become frustrated pretty quickly. I began writing salutes to highlight authors and illustrators on their birthdays. It took until mid-January before I finally got a comment from a bonafide member of the kidlitosphere. I wrote about my application to travel with faculty from the University to China, Tibet and Taiwan. Entitled Dreaming of China, I wrote about my interest in linking the study of China to children's books. With that post a friendship was born, for this very first comment came from a kindred spirit, Elaine at Wild Rose Reader (although she was only a Blue Rose Girl then). Just over a week later I wrote Thank You, Grace Lin (or Why Multicultural Books Matter), and received comments from Elaine and Grace! The next thing I knew, Kelly Herold had added me to her blogroll, and The Miss Rumphius Effect was off and running.

It's been a great year of blogging. Here are some highlights.

• Participating in Poetry Friday.
• Writing a series of thematic book lists for instruction.
• This post on reading aloud.
• My response to the great scrotum debate.
• This post on Diversity in School and Classroom Libraries.
  
• This three part series on Exploring the Natural World.
• Documenting my trip to China, Tibet and Taiwan.
• This post on Ten Little Rabbits.
• The poetry stretch series and the very creative results.
• This post reviewing John Green's lecture at UR.
  

I could go on. I was thrilled to attend the 1st Annual Kidlit Conference where I met so many wonderful bloggers and authors face-to-face. Today I am honored to participate in the Blogging for a Cure effort and excited about my involvement in the Cybils. I am so grateful to be part of this supportive community. I would name you all, but the list would be long and I fear I would leave some important member out.

Where will the next year lead? Hopefully further down this same path with more book reviews (nonfiction, of course), thematic lists, and thoughts on teaching and learning. I hope you'll stick with me. It would be darn lonely without you.