January 1 is a time for reflection for many. Yes, I know time is a construct, that nothing is really different today than yesterday, but there are certain moments in time that lead one to become more introspective and reflective. As a teacher, I usually have three times in the year where I spend time contemplating:
June because it's the end of a school year and I begin to think about what worked, what didn't, what to keep for the next year, and what to put on a shelf for another time.
August/September because it is the start of the upcoming school year. I dust off all of my thoughts from June, compare them to the class I've been given, and I update and reassess. Until I no longer teach, September will be its own special "New Years".
And January 1. This one is more personal. This one is more about me, as a human, than me, as a teacher. And, while, I am not a fan of resolutions, per se, I am a HUGE believer in choosing a Word of the Year.
I know many people practice this as well. Some spend time thinking about a Word. I understand this method, because, at my heart, I am a bit controlling. But, I have learned to allow the Word to come to me, instead of trying to make the Word fit into my life. And a Word always finds me. And, once that Word finds me, I don't spend all of the next year thinking about it. Many times I forget what it even was, but when I review my Word, I realize how important it actually became.
For 2022, my word was Focus. I know I struggled with focusing. I would flit from one idea to the next, only partially pay attention to conversations (confession: the word didn't help with this 😂. Menopause brain is REAL people!). What I learned this past year- find one thing and build on that.
A friend and I tell each other, "You can do it all, you just can't do it all at once." Focus certainly helped me with this. Professionally, I made some huge shifts in my teaching practice, away from what others were telling me, and towards what I knew in my heart was right. But I also realized, I can't do every single shift all at once. I needed to Focus on one thing. And that was Story Workshop. Not only did Story Workshop help me focus my writing instruction, I found the process helped my students focus, as well.
I also learned to focus on my own health and fitness. I learned to fine tune what I was doing, and I learned to seek out the opinions and ideas of people who knew what they were talking about.
For 2022 Focus proved to be the perfect Word.
My Word for 2023 found me in December (as my Words do). I was listening to Janis Joplin, and the phrase, "Freedom's just another word for, nothing left to lose" struck me. Freedom. I can't tell you why because I don't know yet, but Freedom is what it is.
Bonus Content: Songs About Freedom
