Many of you can probably guess that I REALLY like blogging.  No, I don’t have a lot of time on my hands.  In fact right now I have a laundry list of other things I really should be doing.  But, for me, blogging is like a form of therapy, a chance to slow down, reflect and take a few minutes to just breathe.  I love having the chance to process how things are going in my classes, and even how things are going with my relationships with my students and colleagues.  I also love getting everyone’s feedback on the things I’m thinking about/processing/struggling with.  It helps me feel connected to people I don’t normally get to connect with, even if on a virtual platform. 

Last year I got the idea to try to turn some of my blogs into an article for publication.  I worked really hard on a draft I was super proud of and had the amazing Joan Tracy read it over and, with her help, made it even better.  I submitted to Mathematics Teacher, the journal associated with the National Council of Mathematics Teachers.  In May I found out it was rejected.  Not even a revise and resubmit.  Nope, flat out rejection.  Their comments were super helpful and valid.  And, I realized I really had no idea what I was doing when it came to trying to get published.  Mathematics Teacher is a pretty high caliber publication.  Maybe I needed to start with a slightly smaller journal. 

Turns out California has its own publication, called the Communicator, managed by the California Mathematics Council.  It’s still a peer-reviewed journal, but the scope is limited to California.  They had a call out for articles related to alternative forms of assessment.  I took many of the blogs I had written about my work with my Algebra 2 girls, and in particular my decision to give a challenging group test each chapter, and turned it into a submission.  And, yay!  it was accepted. 

I share this with you for a couple of reasons:
1.  Yes, full disclosure, I’m proud!
2.  If you blog a lot here, think about turning some of your writing into a submission article.  Share your great ideas with the larger academic community.
3.  If you haven’t given blogging a try or haven’t seen the point, maybe this might give you motivation.
4.  I’ll be giving a talk at our 4/12 PD day about group tests, the subject of this article.  If you want to know more, please come. 
5.  Huge thanks to Elizabeth, Joan, and Christina (maybe others too?) who started and manage this blog.  I really do think it’s a great part of toolbox as teachers.

Here’s a link to the article if you’d like to read it.