More educators should be writing, wondering, and vulnerable in public

Here is a blog entry from Scott McLead's excellent blog, Mind Dump.

Do your students know how you, the teacher, write? Can they catch you somewhere in the middle of your own learning process, doubting, wondering, as a vulnerable human far from the know-all/authority in the subject ideal? #

Here’s what I wrote in response1: #

I’ve discovered that more and more, I’m wondering in public. I’m wondering on Twitter, or via Evernote, or here on the blog, or in a half dozen other places, and it’s beautiful. It’s messy and scary and contagious and weird – and it’s okay.

I couldn't agree more.  Isn't writing, not to mention learning, "messy and scary and contagious and weird"?  Yet, we don't portray that in our schools. 

Just look at the fiver paragraph/thesis-support format.  That makes it seem like the author devised the thesis first and then very efficiently devised three supporting claims.  In reality, the writing was scattered and fragmentary.  But the final product doesn't illustrate that.  Furthermore, all the messiness is discarded.  I stress to my students that such 'messiness' is really the best part - that's where all the learning is.

We need to do that more in school and in the public eye via social media.