Bud the Teacher

If you haven't heard about Bud the Teacher, he is a teacher consultant for Colorado State University, and formerly a high school language arts and journalism teacher. He also runs this blog, where he provides insight and information for teachers.

This is what the main page of his blog looks like.

I enjoyed reading through Bud's blog because of the way he reflects on his own personal experiences with teaching. He writes in an informal and relatable way that makes me feel like a friend is trying to teach me how to better myself as a teacher. He blogs about a variety of topics, from purposeful web presence to talking about things that are happening, such as his post about National Poetry Month.

One blog post I found particularly powerful was actually his second-most recent blog post, which talks about empowerment. It's titled "I'm Not in Love with the Word Empowerment," and he might be the first person I have ever heard say those words! He talks about how he has been able to use the word without thought in the past, but lately, anytime he hears it, it makes him cringe. He explains why like this: "Because for me to empower you, especially when I hear the word used by others, I've got to have something that you don't have, and I have to give it to you. That thing is, of course, power." That is something I have never considered before when I talk about wanting to empower my students, which is something that often comes up when talking about D/deaf and hard of hearing students (and probably most students receiving special education services, too).

I really enjoyed reading through Bud's blog. I found it to be insightful and thought-provoking in a much deeper way than I honestly anticipated from a blog. His posts made me want to be sure I take the time to reflect on my own teaching in the future, because I think that will be the best way for me to ensure that I am positively impacting my students in what I am doing myself. While my teaching will be about my students first and foremost, without reflecting on what I do, I will never grow or progress, and with all the up-and-coming technology (and the technology that already exists) alone, I need to be growing and changing with all of what is to come, instead of staying behind in the dust.