Since 2014, instead of making New Year's resolutions, I have joined many people across the globe and selected one word to guide me through the year. Sometimes I have searched for and found my word, sometimes my word has found me. Back in 2014, the word that found me was 'hope.' My mother had sent me a necklace with those 4 letters on it. I had struggled with infertility and we had experienced several losses. But that little word hope told me to hang on and eventually my miracle, Emerson, was born. In 2015, I added mom to my job title, and so my word became 'joy.' I found joy in my role of being a principal mom to 500 kids and in my role of being a mommy to one special kid. In 2016, I selected the word 'connect.' I knew that in order to be my best self in the job, I needed to connect with educators across the country and learn and grow with them. In 2017, the word that found me was 'create.' I have always loved writing, drawing, sketching, and that year I knew I wanted to get back to creating more beautiful things. Last year, I had read the book Power of Moments, and I knew that my one word had to be 'moment.' I wanted to live in the moment, create moments, build momentum...it was a perfect word for me for 2018. I was able to bring my one word to all of you as I have tried to create moments here at Mayo for students and staff.
But now we are starting a new year, and that means it's time for a new one word. How did this one word business get started? I have written about it for several years, but you can read more about it here: http://www.jongordon.com/positivetip/one-word-for-2018.html
or here is my post from last year: https://musingstomotivate.blogspot.com/2018/01/moment-oneword2018.html
or my post from 2017: https://musingstomotivate.blogspot.com/2017/01/oneword2017.html
You can also watch this short video clip about one word:
I thought about a lot of options for my word for 2019, but I am going to go with what I feel is the best word for me this year. It's a word that is certainly a combination of my work life and my home life. My #oneword2019 is heart. I truly believe that I am meant to lead with my heart. I say it all the time...we are in the business of humans...little humans and big humans. And we need to always remember that. Leading with my heart helps me to always remember that, and it helps me to always make decisions that put students first.
Besides having my #oneword guide me at school, I know that heart will play a big part in my personal life as well this year. Recently, my husband and I became certified to be foster parents. And the week after Thanksgiving, we welcomed a child into our home. While I know it will not be easy, knowing that we are able to make a difference in this child's life makes my heart happy. And knowing that my daughter is learning about empathy and caring for others makes my heart swell with pride. Plus, seeing my husband partner with me in this endeavor and watching him love this child...well it makes me love my husband even more. We don't know how long this child will be with us, but I know that already the child has changed our family for the better. There is a whole lot of love in our house. (A lot of stress and a lot of crazy, too!)
I am looking forward to letting my #oneword guide me this year. Guess what?! You will be able to choose a word that is just right for you. That's your homework this week. You need to come to our staff meeting next week with a word that you have selected.
What will your #oneword2019 be?
Currently reading:
I spent the last few hours of 2018 finished listening to the memoir, Educated. I was drawn into her story and the craziness of her family life and could not stop listening! By finishing that book before midnight, I realized that I had reached my Goodreads goal; I read and recorded 50 books during 2018. I will set a new goal for 2019, maybe I will try to increase my amount. It's a great idea to talk with your students about their reading goals for the year. And maybe you want to think of setting a reading goal for 2019? It could be to read a certain number of books or it could be to read different genres. Whatever you decide, share your reading goals with your students and help them set some of their own! Next up on my Audible list is Michelle Obama's Becoming. I am excited to listen to her.
I have also been working on finishing up The Serpent's Secret. I get to attend a board meeting for Scholastic in February and the author, Sayantani Dasgupta, will be at the meeting. Can't wait to meet her!
Because I will be leading a 4th grade writing group starting next week, I was doing some planning for the writing work we will do. To help me plan, I read different prompts from the book The Creativity Project. It's a book full of prompts and original creations from prompts created by 44 different children's book creators.
Tuesday - Happy 2019!
Wednesday - Welcome back! Wellness Wednesday, Winter DRAs for grades 3-5 begin
Thursday - Liz at PLT meeting from 7:45-10:00
Great things I noticed last week:
- I visited 2H and saw some engineering and design thinking in action! 2nd graders had built and rebuilt boats and tested them in the water.
- Thanks to the Holden Fire Department for coming to speak to each grade level about fire safety.
- I stopped into 3Pz and found students shopping?! They had to design a meal for under $25.
- Thanks to the PTA for a wonderful breakfast on the last day before break!
- Pajama Day was tons of fun! Although...I kept feeling like I needed a nap.
Some ideas for teacher resolutions: https://resourced.prometheanworld.com/resolutions-teachers-2018/
And here are some resolutions specific to technology: https://www.erintegration.com/2018/12/29/9-tech-resolutions-for-teachers-to-make-in-the-new-year/
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