Understanding My Audience

This week I have my students working on their blogs, and trying to get a grip on who they are and who they want  their audience to be. It has been a bit easier for me — for the next couple of months they are MY audience, but in turn, I must be part of THEIR audience.

I've really been enjoying vicariously the 'aha' moments that my students have experienced, and are writing about in the Personal Learning Journals, Twitter, and Blogs. There definitely is strong positive emotion that I have here — we don't really have an English word for it.  The emotions expert Paul Ekman calls it naches (or nakhes), which is the yiddish word for the pleasure/glow that someone feels in the accomplishments of their children, or someone they are mentoring. As good a word as any other I can come up with.

Gifford was here this weekend — we had a great time at the HangRhapsody.com concert Saturday, and we had a lot of good conversation. With all of the fundraising for the school he's not had time to keep up with the class, but he is looking forward to participating more and really wants to get into the practice of writing his thoughts in a blog.

I feel privileged to be a part of the BGI community, of Gifford's friendship, and the opportunity to be an Angel of Change in my students lives. We have 8 more weeks and two more intensives together, and I am looking forward to them.