#OneWord 2019- "Learn"

I love the #oneword initiative, and one of the best parts of it is reflecting on your previous word.  So, before I talk about this year's word, a quick note on the last.  Looking back on 2018, when my #oneword was "In", I'm not sure if I met all of my goals for that word.  I selected "In" because I was frustrated with the lack of leadership within our country, with the respect (or lack thereof) social studies education was receiving, and with the test-driven culture being cultivated in our schools.  My stated goals were to remain active in the educational community by leading professional development, being active on Twitter, and forging links with other educators.  In addition I had hoped to push for more respect for social studies ed, and seek out alternative methods for assessment beyond tests.  For the first goal, Twitter has been a godsend.  There are so many teachers that I have learned from and built connections with, and I've met very few of them face to face.  I was actually offered a second teaching position from a connection I had made through Twitter, and am loving the opportunity that I have had to work with students from all over the country through this opportunity!  But, unfortunately, I haven't had the chances to lead as much professional development as I had hoped, but will strive to work towards more opportunities in 2019.  I am excited about how testing has become much less of a focus in our classroom.  As I've written about in previous posts, I have begun working with much more student choice and assessment based on what I call "justifiable dialogue", and have been pleased with the results.  I'm definitely looking forward to growing this in the next year!

Now on to 2019.  When I consider my #oneword each year, I generally begin the process by laying out goals for the upcoming year.  Once laid out, I study those goals to see if a pattern or connection emerges, and that is often where my word emerges.  After laying out my goals for this year, the connective word became abundantly clear.

My #oneword2019 is LEARN!

Teachers lose something when they believe they have nothing left to learn.  When I retire, I hope there are many things I have left to learn.  My stated goals for the year are

• to lead and/or attend at least 5 professional development opportunities
• to pursue the chance to take classes to expand my knowledge base
• to read at least 10 books in my field (my goal is 20 total counting books read just for pleasure; hats off to those of you who read 50 or more, I just don't have time)
• to continue using Twitter as a means of working with other teachers from around the world
• and to continue seeking out ways to grow student voice and to always be willing to listen, as I often learn a great deal from my kids.

Here we go!