A few years ago I stumbled on the One Little Word idea at Two Writing Teachers. Instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, the idea is to choose a word that will guide your thinking and actions for the year. In the past I used “reflect” and “listen,” words which were chosen to help guide me mostly in my interactions with students, although these words certainly reached into other aspects of my life. This year I have chosen “re-imagine” as my OLW for 2014.
2013 brought a number of changes for me both personally and professionally, and I have had to re-imagine my role as teacher, mother, and writer. Since I am continuing this journey of “re-imagining” as I head into 2014, I think it will serve me well.
As teacher – Last June I retired from active classroom teaching. I hesitate to use the word “retire” because I am still a teacher, it’s just that the focus has changed. For much of my career I was a teacher of teachers as well as students, but now the way I reach students is more through my work with teachers than with the students directly. I still have contact with the students as I volunteer in some of the classrooms where I worked as a professional, but I have had to “re-imagine” that role.
As a mother – Our family is growing (no, I’m not pregnant!) My son is getting married in the fall, so I will have to re-imagine myself as mother of three instead of just two. We are all very excited about this event and already our lives have been enriched, but there will definitely be adjustments.
As a learner – I have always considered myself to be a lifelong learner, so I have no doubt that I will continue to learn. I want to continue to grow in my profession by reading and attending conferences, as well as continue to deepen my understanding and proficiency with online professional development. I hope to continue to add to my knowledge of birds and flowers (my current interests), as well as branch out to new interests, whatever they may be (I think my husband would like baking to be among them).
As a writer – I think there are many new possibilities to consider here. I have begun to participate in more online writing, and there are a few new projects floating around in my head.
Lynne and I always use the phrase “imagine the possibilities” in our work with mentor texts, and I think it fits here also. As I jump into 2014 I am ready to imagine the possibilities that will help me “re-imagine” myself.
2013 brought a number of changes for me both personally and professionally, and I have had to re-imagine my role as teacher, mother, and writer. Since I am continuing this journey of “re-imagining” as I head into 2014, I think it will serve me well.
As teacher – Last June I retired from active classroom teaching. I hesitate to use the word “retire” because I am still a teacher, it’s just that the focus has changed. For much of my career I was a teacher of teachers as well as students, but now the way I reach students is more through my work with teachers than with the students directly. I still have contact with the students as I volunteer in some of the classrooms where I worked as a professional, but I have had to “re-imagine” that role.
As a mother – Our family is growing (no, I’m not pregnant!) My son is getting married in the fall, so I will have to re-imagine myself as mother of three instead of just two. We are all very excited about this event and already our lives have been enriched, but there will definitely be adjustments.
As a learner – I have always considered myself to be a lifelong learner, so I have no doubt that I will continue to learn. I want to continue to grow in my profession by reading and attending conferences, as well as continue to deepen my understanding and proficiency with online professional development. I hope to continue to add to my knowledge of birds and flowers (my current interests), as well as branch out to new interests, whatever they may be (I think my husband would like baking to be among them).
As a writer – I think there are many new possibilities to consider here. I have begun to participate in more online writing, and there are a few new projects floating around in my head.
Lynne and I always use the phrase “imagine the possibilities” in our work with mentor texts, and I think it fits here also. As I jump into 2014 I am ready to imagine the possibilities that will help me “re-imagine” myself.
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