If you had asked me 20 years ago what I would consider to be a fun and rewarding pastime, I never would have imagined writing on my own blog would have been the response. In this post, I will share information about, and future plans for, my very own blog.

I have been blogging as the “Straight Talk Prof” for approximately eight years (on and off, but mostly off) because I want to share insights with prospective and current post-secondary students about what it takes to make the most out of their university experience.

I truly love the opportunities I’ve been given to coach students to be better students. Posts about asking questions, general classroom etiquette, and working in groups are just a few of the topics that students could benefit from reading. Another of my favourite posts is all about questions you should never ask your professor. I know you’re interested in that one. Check it out!

In recent years, and as I’ve experienced the ups and downs of parenting my two daughters, I’ve thought about spinning my posts to attract the attention of the pre-teen parenting crowd. The mommy-blogging crowd is a big market these days. There have been many moments in my teaching career where I’ve been so proud of a student that I’ve said to myself, “I would love it if my daughter was like this student”. There have also been moments where just the opposite was true. I feel my experiences with mostly teens and early twenty-somethings have given me some insight into what skills, habits, and experiences make for the most successful and most of all happy, young women. I’ll have to do some more thinking about that angle. It could be very dangerous to label oneself as a parenting expert of sorts.

At the moment, the purpose of my blog is not only to provide students (and their parents) with relevant information but it is also to help me find my writing voice and create content that I might be able to incorporate into a book. I envision this book as the perfect high school graduation gift from a respected aunt, uncle, or family friend. If I go for the parenting voice route, then the audience would shift entirely to the parents of high school students. Just like many audiences, this audience is extremely diverse. I would envision my blog being most attractive to those who are already involved in the parenting or mommy-blogger world.

The benefits of reading my blog include gaining insight into what professors really think as well as what it takes to succeed in the post-secondary environment. I will need to stress that students must be willing to translate the information into action in order to experience the benefits. The other benefit of reading my posts comes from opening minds to the notion of what success at the post-secondary level really means. You might be surprised to learn that in my opinion, it has nothing to do with your grades.

The potential objections from writing this blog include criticism from professors who don’t share my ideas and snubs from students who might not believe what I have to say. Fortunately, I have not had any negative experiences to date; however, I believe my fear of criticism is holding me back from working towards reaching a larger audience.

Before the start of the next academic year, I would really like to get back on track with my blog writing by meeting my weekly posting goal. I’m going to take the advice of Daphne Gray-Grant, publication coach, and do a little bit of writing each day, early in the morning when I am fresh and energetic. If you have any suggestions on topics that you would like me to cover at www.straighttalkprof.com, please let me know.

Photo Credits:

  1. <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/katiekrueger/2351656805/”>KatieKrueger</a&gt; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a&gt;
  2. Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com
  3. Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com