Dave Hutchinson has served as a member of the Board of School Directors for Pennsylvania's State College Area School District for the past four years. State College is the home to Penn State University, and is located in the central part of the state.
What is the history of your blog? What got you started? What are your goals for your blog? I've been posting for about six months. I had kicked around the idea of starting a blog since I heard a presentation from David Warlick at an NSBA [National School Boards Association] conference. It struck me as a way to give the community some insight into the perspective of a school board member, and what goes into our individual decision-making process. Hopefully, it is also a way to engage the community in a conversation about what they want our schools to be.
How has the experience of blogging changed you or your work, if at all? Not much, except that as I go about "being a board member", I now see it as part of my responsibility to watch for ways that I can advance the public's understanding of the issues facing education, and how those issues are being addressed in their schools.
What are you some of your favorite moments or results or examples of impact of your blogging? What some of your worst moments? No catastrophes, so far. Every once in a while I'll hear myself being quoted back to me. That's nice.
How have your fellow board members reacted? Publicly and privately. How have other groups such as teachers, etc. reacted? Board members have been generally supportive. Some have even read it! This is a very busy community, so I think it takes a while to add something new to the routine.
Tell me about some of your favorite posts. Well, I like them all, and I think that skimming through them gives the reader a sense of the surprisingly broad range of issues that are faced by school boards.
What advice would you give other school board members considering blogging? The best advice I received was not to feel obligated to post on a set schedule - don't say something unless you have something to say. Beyond that, we should embrace the opportunities provided by new technologies - be an example for our students! I would love to see more blogging from across our local education community.
What other blogs by school board members there in your state or region or nationally do you read and/or admire (if any)? I haven't gotten around to that, yet!
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