Yesterday at 6 pm I published a post on our class blog about our Heritage Fair. At 7 pm I received an email from one of my students:

Hi Mrs. Smith

That is a great post you worte but i have some suggestions

1. Add links to the names of the class mates
2. Maybe share more info on what classmates said about the differences in presentations in the library to the class.

signed ***

I have to say I am thrilled with this email because this tells me a few things:

1. What I’ve been saying about linking is sticking. She noticed that I didn’t do it.
2. What I’ve modeled about the power of feedback to help a writer improve is sticking.
3. What I have said about reading thoughtfully is sticking. She obviously read deeply enough to notice what was missing–I had not included the really important conversation we had following the Fair
4. What I have been saying about the subtleties of what sorts of comments should be made on a blog, and what should be made via other means is sticking. Although her feedback would have been just fine on the blog, I think it was thoughtful to choose email instead.
5. Most significant to me, her email says something about our relationship. She trusts me enough to feel confident that her feedback would be welcomed.

There are days when I suspect that I am just so much white noise in the lives of my students. And then there are others when I notice a change in attitude, a strategy applied, growth in thinking, or more mature behaviour. Blogging has created fertile ground for all of us. The roots go down and the plant grows up.

Have you ever had feedback from your students, parents, or colleagues that has made you aware of the postive effects of your teaching that you weren’t expecting?  I’d love to hear it.

Now I’ve got a post to edit.