#OneWord 2020 - Part One

It is said that "one cannot catch up on sleep". According to Matt Walker, a scientist who specializes in brain activity, "sleep is a non-negotiable, biological necessity" for humans who "are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent reason". If that is the case, then I am not sure what I have been doing for the past week. It sure feels as if I am "catching up on sleep" when I'm getting ten or more hours a night. 

Should I disturb him, or just go back to sleep?

I'm a little concerned about next Monday morning, when the alarm goes off at 7:00. 

How difficult will it be to get back into a regular routine?

This is compounded further by the dubious choices I've made with my diet. It's time to put the chocolate, candy, chips, cheese, beer and bourbon well out of reach.

For me, January 1 has, for the past four years, been a day of reflection and a chance to lay down plans for determining my #OneWord. The #OneWord Challenge is a social media movement that encourages individuals to choose a single word as their focus for the year. Some, like me, connect that word to S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Last year, my #OneWord was PERSIST and I set goals in this blog post.

Reflecting on that post and my #OneWord I think I've been reasonably successful:

• My fitness goals were somewhat derailed by three injuries and a bout of shingles - but, I'm persisting. 
• I have persisted with Duolingo Spanish and my study streak is at 565 days.
• I played guitar a little less but, I've been taking piano lessons for three months and I practise regularly.
• I persisted with my writing, averaging a blog post every six days.

In Part Two of this post, I will choose my #OneWord for 2020 and try to establish a few S.M.A.R.T. goals. I also hope to share how I incorporate #OneWord and Goal Setting Lessons with my students.

Summer Goals 2017

Last year, I decided to set some fairly lofty S.M.A.R.T. Goals and I made them public through this blog post. I was not successful meeting them all, but it did keep me on track and motivated. As I said last year, “Past summers have taught me that, left to my own devices, I will increasingly accomplish less.” Consequently, I know that I need to put a plan in place before the first week of July ends.

I am moving into a new position with the Board in September. I will be a Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA) acting in the role of Instructional Coach for four schools in the Zorra Township area of Oxford County.  I attended my first Professional Development at the Thames Valley Board office on Friday, June 30 and got plenty of literature to read over the summer.

Additionally, I will be teaching another three day Summer Academy course, sponsored by the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario (ETFO). This year, it will be in Toronto at the end of August. My topic is similar to last year, Blending Tech into a Junior Classroom. However, this year I am putting more specific focus on Math and Literacy.

So, my S.M.A.R.T. goals for the Summer of 2017 are…

• Preparing for the Summer Academy Course I will be presenting (August 22 -24)
• Reading the books on the list above.
• Participating in a TOSA Summer Book Study for Trevor Mackenzie’s “Dive into Inquiry” Join us here.
• 20 minutes of Spanish daily using Rosetta Stone and Duolingo.
• 2 hours of guitar practice weekly.
• At least 6 blog entries before September 1st.
• Continued work with Scratch, Makey Makey, Google CS First and Lego Mindstorm EV3 Robots. Let’s say, 3 hours per week.

Beyond this I want to continue to nurture the important relationships that I have with family and friends. I am planning a 50th birthday celebration for a good friend who will be visiting from Iqaluit, Nunavut in August, so that will keep me busy. I am also going to work hard to maintain a good level of physical fitness through beach walks, kayaking, weight training and a good stretching routine using Fitness Blender.

According to the researchers in The Happy Movie the three keys to achieving life's most important emotion are…

1. Exercise your mind and your body. Learn every day and challenge yourself physically.
2. Give of yourself. Be charitable - not just with money, but with your spirit and your talents.
3. Build and strengthen important relationships.

I think my summer goals are a recipe toward that success.

I look forward to hearing your goals. Share them with the hashtag #Summer17Goals