Introducing the NC Ed Leaders Blog

I know several people who blog on a regular basis, especially in the field of education. I have always been a little envious of bloggers, because I believe in the value of writing as a tool to reflect and grow as an educator, but I've never been able to find time to start a blog myself. I also love reading and sharing blogs and blog posts from others, especially via Twitter. Social media has become such a powerful tool for educators to connect, share ideas, and build networks.

A few months ago, Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler), a high school principal in Pennsylvania, invited me to participate in a blog series he was putting together. I was honored that he reached out to me and I was happy to submit a post for the series he organized (here is the link to the Chase Learning Blog).

Participating in Dr. Ziegler's blog series gave me a chance to reflect on my practice, share some advice with fellow educators, and connect with other school leaders from different parts of the country. This experience also gave me an idea... what if I tried to put together a similar sort of blog, with the goal of featuring principals, teachers, and district leaders from across the state of North Carolina?

I have worked in three school districts during my short educational career so far, and I have met numerous educators across the central part of the state while in graduate school at UNC-Greensboro. I have also "met" countless others via Twitter, so I have had the privilege of working and connecting with a large number of high-quality educators over the last 10 years.

To make the NC Ed Leaders Blog a reality, I knew I would need the help of my friends and colleagues from across the state... and they have been more than happy to help! I am excited to announce some of the awesome North Carolina school leaders who will be participating in this blog series over the next five weeks, including:

*Leslie Kinard, principal of Thomasville High School in the Thomasville City Schools district. Leslie is an ASCD Emerging Leader who has an awesome blog and is a great follow on Twitter.

*Lora Tiano, principal of Kernersville Elementary School in the WSFCS district. Lora is a former math teacher, curriculum coordinator, and assistant principal who was a great mentor to me when we worked together previously at Glenn High School. She can be found here on Twitter.

*Jon Williams, principal of Dalton McMichael High School in Rockingham County. Jon was just named principal of DMHS this summer, having previously served as an assistant principal at Walkertown High School. Check him out on Twitter here.

*Leigh Jones, School Support Officer in Guilford County and former high school and middle school principal. Leigh and I love to give each other a hard time, but she is a passionate, hard-working educator who wants to help principals reach their full potential. Connect with her here on Twitter.

These are just a few of the educators who will be featured over the next five weeks. I hope you will "tune in" to read the thoughts and reflections of these and other North Carolina educators as you expand your PLN this summer!