#OneWord2023

For the eighth year, I am participating in the #OneWord challenge. However, I am most excited about what my students will do with the activities I have planned for them in another updated version of a lesson that has been a hit for six years. Also, for the first time in three years, we will complete these activities in person. The first week of school in January has been virtual since 2020.

For those unfamiliar, #OneWord is a social media movement in which individuals are encouraged to abandon the idea of New Year's Resolutions in favour of a single word -- One Word -- that centers their character and helps them focus on a vision for the next 365 days.

In the past, I have selected Revitalize, Mindfulness, Cultivate, Persist, Discomfort, Ameliorate & Appreciate.. I have had mixed success with my focus on each. Some years, the word is front-of-mind and I reflect on it often. Other years, it fades and has little impact on my day-to-day. Last year's word Appreciate was far superior to my pretentious choice to pick Ameliorate in 2021.

This year, I have chosen the word VITALITY. This word is certainly a reflection on my advancing age. In the past few years, I have “felt my age”. I’ve slowed down my activity, gained weight and lost flexibility. I could dismiss this as being an unfortunate biproduct of the Covid pandemic – applying buzz-worthy terms like, “Lockdown Malaise”, “Pandemic Pounds”, “Covid Kilograms” to justify my situation. But, I know I can do better.

I will think about VITALITY when I work to...

• Go to the gym at least three times a week
• Play hockey at least once a week (until spring)
• Complete a Yoga With Adriene at least three times a week
• Keep sugary & starchy foods out of the house
• Replace bad eating habits with more water & better food choices

VITALITY is my #OneWord2023.

Thank you, I also appreciate you reading my post.

EDUCATION CONNECTION

I have curated a series of lesson for my students at this link

 https://bit.ly/onewordhyperdoc23

Educators are welcome to copy it and edit for their own needs. By the end of January, each of my students will have their own #OneWord that they will share in a banner made in the program Canva (similar to the ones I have made above). They will also create a Shapegram Snow Globe and share their thoughts. (see below).

OneWord 2022

For the seventh year, I am participating in the #OneWord challenge. However, I am most excited about what my students will do with the activities I have planned for them in another updated version of a lesson that has been a hit for six years. (See below).

For those unfamiliar, #OneWord is a social media movement in which individuals are encouraged to abandon the idea of New Year's Resolutions in favour of a single word -- One Word -- that centers of their character and helps them focus on a vision for the next 365 days. 

In the past, I have selected Revitalize, Mindfulness, Cultivate, Persist, Discomfort & Ameliorate. I have had mixed success with my focus on each. Some years, the word is front-of-mind and I reflect on it often. Other years, it fades and has little impact on my day-to-day. Last year's word Ameliorate is a good example. I think I overthought that selection.

This year, I have chosen the word APPRECIATE. This word reflects the challenges I've experienced lately. I am genuinely missing things that brought pleasure and purpose to my life. We are in the 4th wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – The Omicron Wave. I am, again, feeling a little isolated from friends and my classroom. As an extrovert, I am energized by social gatherings.

Additionally, I had a foot surgery that, although necessary and important, has taken away my mobility. Consequently, I am unable to exercise. I can accept that I have to wait six weeks to play hockey – arenas are shut down anyway – but, I can’t walk very far, do my daily push-ups or even commit to a good stretch. 

Snapped this just after I woke up from anaesthesia

I could continue to complain, but that is what I want to change. I want to appreciate the things that I have. 

• I am safe and so are my loved ones. I am currently listening to music and can hear my wife in the other room feeding our cats--all of whom love me unconditionally.

• I am still employed, despite the pandemic and the surgery.

• I have an terrific class of creative, kind, smart learners and we are going to make the most of this situation.

• I am healthy otherwise. Until my surgery, I was still a 56-year-old playing hockey and doing 28 push-ups a day.

• I can use this time for other pursuits. I can play guitar, continue learning the piano and take up my Spanish course...again.

This is only scratching the surface. There is so much to appreciate about this world I was lucky to be born into and that I have worked hard to create. This year, I am going to recognize this more often.

Appreciate is my #OneWord2022.

Thank you, I also appreciate you reading my post.

EDUCATION CONNECTION

I have curated a series of lesson for my students at this link (bit.ly/onewordhyperdoc22)

Educators are welcome to copy it and edit for their own needs. By next week, each of my students will have their own #OneWord that they will share in a banner made in the program Canva (similar to the ones I have made above). They will also create a Shapegram Snow Globe and share their thinking. (see below).

#OneWord 2020 - Part Two

In my last post,  I reflected on my success with the 2019 goals I set with my #OneWord: Persist.

This is my fifth year participating in the #OneWord social media challenge and I've had varying degrees of success using a single word to narrow my focus. The experience has been positive and beneficial but, this year, I am taking things in a different direction.

My wife and I recently watched a Ted Talk by Susan David in which she discussed the power of emotional courage.

The following quote resonated:

"Only dead people never get stressed, never get broken hearts, never experience the disappointment that comes with failure. Tough emotions are part of our contract with life. You don't get to have a meaningful career or raise a family or leave the world a better place without stress and discomfort. Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life."

I'll admit, I have learned to diminish my emotional response to situations. There was a time when I was aggressively outspoken regarding my feelings about...well...pretty much everything.  At times I was a bit pushy and, regretably, did not take the feelings of others into consideration when ranting and railing over the many injustices of the world (big and small, real or imagined). Some of this I couched in comedy. I felt, incorrectly, that I could say anything I wanted as long as it was "meant to be funny".

I eventually made the conscious decision to censor myself. It was challenging. I still struggle to "read" people and situations. However, with time and practice, I got a lot better. My life improved noticeably. Friendships, career, physical well-being and most importantly, my relationship with my girlfriend (now wife) flourished.

However, am I just internalizing, or bottling, these emotions?
Do I need to start paying the price of admission to a more meaningful life? 
Do I need to embrace discomfort?
I think so. DISCOMFORT is my #OneWord2020

It is important to add the following caveats.

• I will continue to work on my ability to acknowledge the feelings of others and take them into account when acting on my discomfort.
• I will seek guidance from others - especially my wife.
• This will be a slow process and I am not setting goals for myself yet. I have set an alarm for April to update this post. 

I suspect my first challenge with discomfort will be modifying the dependence I have with my smartphone. It brings me great comfort and allows me to disengage with human connections. That has to change if I intend to live a more purposeful and meaningful life.

#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.

#OneWord 2019

It's been a quiet and reflective start to 2019. I just finished watching the Winter Classic (the annual outdoor NHL hockey game that always airs January 1st.) This year, the Boston Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. I did my Spanish lesson and cruised Twitter for a bit. It seems that another tradition, the #OneWord challenge, is also trending.

Last year, I wrote the following post and reflected on my goals for 2018. I chose the word CULTIVATE and I set four goals for myself.

1. I planned to cultivate a healthier lifestyle and I was somewhat successful. I eliminated all refined sugars (even things that convert easily to sugar - bread, rice, pasta, etc.) for the entire month of January and I easily dropped 20 lbs. I've kept most of it off, but I did notice that my "cheat day" became "cheat days" and this stopped the weight loss. I tried the "100 push-ups a day for 30 days" challenge four times. I failed in each month from September to December - but certainly got stronger. I am starting again today - as my toe injury (which took me out for two weeks) has finally healed.
2.  I wanted to cultivate my creative spirit. Again, I was somewhat successful. The middle-school novel I was writing sputtered, but I did complete a good number of blog posts and began working with a group of musicians on a Jukebox Musical about the life of Tom Petty. That might see some action next summer - it all depends on the rights to the music.
3. I wanted to cultivate my learning. I persisted with my Spanish on a daily basis - I'm at over 200 straight days on my current streak. I can now read at about a Grade 4 level, but I still struggle with hearing and responding. A trip to Spain in the summer for my wife's 50th birthday should help fix this. I played my guitar sporadically and, sadly, the saxophone never left the case.
4. I wanted to cultivate my capacity for giving to the community. I am fortunate that I have a job that allows me to mentor children & collaborate with educators. I'd like to continue to try to do more. 

Overall, 2018 was a fine year. I'm healthy (generally), I am in a wonderful marriage, I have cats that dote on me, I have a job I love, I got to go to New York City on a surprise vacation, my family members are alive and are doing well and I have so many great friends. I guess I am more this 

than this.

So, what's the plan for 2019 and what's my #Oneword going to be? 

I'll go with PERSIST.

• I am going to persist with the same goals I set for myself last year...maybe even get to that 30 day mark with my Push Ups and, who knows, perhaps pull my saxophone from its case.
• I am going to go refined sugar free until Superbowl and persist with good eating habits beyond that date.
• I am going to persist in my role as instructional coach and see if I can get more opportunities to collaborate with teachers who have not yet invited me in to their practice.
• I am going to persist with my writing. I am going to try to create and share something at least once a week.

Here's to a fantastic 2019 and a strong end to an interesting decade. 

Hope your year is wonderful!

#OneWord2018

2018 arrived quietly for me last night. I was watching “Black Mirror” on Netflix and my wife and I almost missed the turning of the hour...and the year. Thirteen hours later, things are much like the chorus of that popular U2 refrain from "New Year's Day"...quiet.

That is probably for the best as it has given me time to reflect. Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to read a number of excellent #OneWord blog posts from friends, colleagues and members of my Professional Learning Network on Twitter. The #OneWord phenomenon, established in 2009, has become an annual tradition where, instead of making a resolution, a single word is chosen to become a personal mantra for the upcoming year.

OneWord Wall 2017 @ Eagle Heights

Typically, I do not officially select my #Oneword until I return to my classroom and present the concept to my students. Since 2016, I have used it as the first writing challenge of the new year. It is a great opportunity to help them think introspectively, expand their vocabulary and set up a personal mindset for the upcoming months. We also create artistic paper banners for classroom display and learn how to make Twitter banners using Canva and Google Drawings.

In 2016, my #OneWord was Mindfulness. In preparation for this post, I pulled up my lesson plan notes on Google Drive. In them, I noted that I wanted to “slow down and be more mindful of the world around me and my own feelings”. I reinforce the idea that I wanted to “stop myself regularly and enjoy the moments in life through which I am prone to rush." I’ll admit, I wasn’t very successful and I still struggle with this. I am a chronic multi-tasker and, despite the mountains of research to the contrary, I still feel that this benefits me.

In 2017, my #OneWord was Revitalize. Following a health scare in late 2016, I looked toward a new year that included healthier dietary choices, more exercise, a renewed effort at mindfulness and quality time reconnecting with my family, friends and passions. After an unsuccessful attempt in 2016 (due to the aforementioned health scare) I embraced the mile-a day challenge in which one attempts to run 365 miles over the course of the year at an evenly balanced pace. I managed to hit 1000 kilometers (620 miles) on the elliptical and I have noticed significant improvement in my flexibility and strength. My friends and I often remark that we used to exercise for reasons of vanity; now, fitness is entirely about the quality of life in the future.

For 2018, I spent much of today (while multi-tasking through the writing of this article) reflecting on the things that make me happiest. Thoughts turned to the documentary “Happy” (2011) which highlights the importance of looking for happiness through intrinsic sources. It continues, through research and example, to distill the simple elements that can amplify joy. They are: exercising, creating, learning, giving and community. With those ideas in mind, I am selecting the word Cultivate as my #OneWord for 2018  

• I want to continue to cultivate a healthy lifestyle through better dietary choices. In particular, I want to reduce my carbohydrate intake and increase the number of times I make vegetarian choices at meals. This, in combination with the gym routine I have established should help make me healthier and happier. Maybe even an extra step in my weekly hockey game?
• I want to cultivate my creative spirit. I have been working on a novel targeted at middle school students and it needs more of my attention in the new year. I intend to write more frequently on this site and I have set a goal of 24 posts for 2018. Well, 23 to go now!
• I want to cultivate my learning by continuing my professional growth. I am at 54% in my Spanish studies on Duolingo. I would like to finish the program before the end of the year. I will also give more time to my guitar and, when the environment permits, my saxophone playing.
• I want to cultivate my capacity for giving to my community. I am fortunate to have a job where I work with children on a daily basis. I would like to find a way to give more. There is a quote that I often pin to the top of my Twitter feed: “Treasure relationships, especially family and your obligation is to make a difference in the world and help people that can not help themselves.” I would like to redouble my efforts to this end. I think I’ll begin with those closest to me and then move outward.

Thank You for reading. I hope you have a wonderful 2018.

Marc