I can’t believe I missed it!!!

All Access Pass’s one year anniversary was April 28th when I posted my very first blog post.

I’ve seen bloggers celebrate this milestone anniversary for over a year and I missed  mine!! So, I will celebrate today!

When I started this blog, I really didn’t know what to expect or how I would develop it. It was a challenge, or maybe even a dare, from a friend and I decided to take her up on it.

Blogging became a huge part of the summer of 2012.  I loved writing, reading, gathering resources, and organizing for the 2012-13 school year. I loved sharing my ideas. I loved having a voice and being accountable.

I documented some wonderful memories with my family.

I preserved some of my favorite photos with the Weekly Photo Challenge.

I also realized I had to ability to share my blog with hundreds of teachers on Edmodo which contributed to thousands of views by educators around the world.

Blogging about a job or a hobby requires you to know what you are talking about.  So researching has also become a hobby of mine.  The knowledge I have gained from that research and from other bloggers (in all fields – not just education) is amazing.

I think of reading blogs as a type of multi-tasking reading. In a half an hour, I can read a dozen posts or more on just as many topics.

While the stats are a little off due to the lateness of this post, here are the stats for my first year+ as a blogger:

Total number of posts: 166

Total number of followers: 214

Total number of views: 31,992

Viewers from 130 different countries

Top Post: Tricks to Teaching Character Types (2544 views)

Most Commented Post: Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting Moment

Best Day for Views: 1,295 (Tuesday, Dec. 4th I posted Christmas Countdown!!)

Most comments (and “Facebook official” friendships): Olivia from oliviaobryon.com  and Mrs. AuburnChick from  auburnchick.wordpress.com (Thank you girls!!)

To my students (who have no idea this blog exists, but who provide me with endless topics to write about), to my children (who always ask, “Are you gonna put that on your blog?), to my family and friends (who faithfully read but aren’t involved in education) and to fellow teachers (who “get” what this blog is all about.)…Thank you for helping me make it happen! Thank you for following my blog, for commenting, and for sticking with me the last year.

So, going back to my very first post….Am I glad I took the risk? Was it worth it?  Absolutely!

As I’ve decided to commit to this blog again, I feel that same excitement I felt a year ago and  to me, that says a lot.  This is what I was meant to do.