It’s been nearly 3 years since I Heart EDU was born. In those three years, I have written 180 blog posts and reached hundreds of thousands of educators. While I have been able to share so much with my readers, I’ve also learned from them and spent time reflecting on who I am as an educator. It isn’t always easy to blog – but the reward far outweighs the struggles.

As I mentioned, blogging consistently is a challenge. It isn’t easy and you have to be disciplined and committed. While I consistently blogged every week for the first two years of my blog, I have found myself missing a week here and there due to…well, just the busy-ness of life. Between a new baby and several job changes, I have felt like I have been in “survival mode” when it comes to my blog and sharing on social media. My hope, as I move into this next school year, is to get back to basics and reignite my passion for blogging on a regular basis.

All of this to say – I am excited to announce a new opportunity for others to join in the blogging experience: Blogging Buddies!

While I was at ISTE, several of my friends mentioned the same concerns about their blogs. They were struggling to write on a regular basis. They often struggled with ideas for what to write about. They had a passion and a desire to write but they needed something to help them. Right then, I thought it would be a great opportunity to form “Blogging Buddies”, a group of educators who blog, share ideas and hold each other accountable.

The format for Blogging Buddies will be very informal. I am going to create a Google Hangout for educators to join. Each week, we will have check-ins on our blogs posts, help each other with ideas for blogging, and share our blog posts with each other for feedback and sharing on social media. In addition to this, I will also share tips and tricks for how I have created and maintained my blog throughout the years.

Blogging Buddies is open to anyone – so, if you are interested in joining us, please fill out the Google Form below!

Finally, I am not sold on the “Blogging Buddies” name and would be totally open to suggestions that might have a more “EDU” focus. 🙂

I hope that I can get a few educators to join me in this blogging journey. I love collaborating with educators and reading their stories. More importantly, I hope that this can be a group that will help amplify the voices of our educational community.

Do you write a blog? If so, share your blog in the comments so I can check it out!