The blog that I have chosen to follow is called Edurati Review: Where Policy Meets Pedagogy. In the About section it describes itself as a, “collaborative space providing diverse commentary, independent analyses of public education policy issues, and innovative pedagogical concepts.” I decided upon this blog after concluding that, as someone with very little knowledge about the history and political aspects of teaching, that this blog would be a good way to educate myself on the subject.

Right off the bat I found this blog to be very informative. The first posting I read was called “Why Great Teachers Quit: And How We Might Stop the Exodus.” This article was about a new book that addressed the subject of why up to 50% of teachers quit after their first five years on the job. I thought, as someone who would like to become a teacher, that this article did a great job of addressing the issues that I might find discouraging. Some of them are:

1. Standardized Testing
2. Working Conditions in Today’s Schools
3. Ever-Higher Expectations
4. Bureaucracy
5. Respect and Compensation
6. Parents
7. Administrators
8. School Boards

The blog post made me aware of some issues that I had never even begun to consider, such as:

Teachers have far less flexibility for things like bodily functions and meals than do most menial workers

Another posting that I found interesting was called “The Banality of Indifference” and dealt with the upsetting notion that Americans are growing increasingly indifferent to the idea that education is important. The posting lists a number of articles and statistics to illustrate how America is falling further and further behind in our willingness to fund education.

As someone who appreciates good blogs I have a high standard for what actually makes a good one. Two important criteria that I think make a blog good are:

1. Numerous links to articles that help to illustrate the main point of the post.

2. An impassioned viewpoint. For example, a good blogger is usually extremely knowledgeable and curious about the subject they are blogging. When you read a post their interest in the subject is usually made apparent by links to a wide variety of relevant sources as well as informed commentary on the links.

After reviewing almost six months worth of posts the Edurati Review appears to meet these criteria. Although the bloggers are not prolific, and rarely post twice in the same day, the posts themselves are very informative. There is a nice mixture of posts that cover a particular fairly thoroughly and shorter articles that address what might be on that bloggers mind at a particular time. I am excited to follow this blog as the semester progresses.