One Little Word Becomes My 2015 Mantra

With the New Year comes a fresh start to approach life in a different way. This new pathway we discover becomes a welcomed avenue for a new year.  

New Year resolutions have always been a familiar return to school activity in the beginning of January. They tend to be markers of what needs to be accomplished but these well wishes often fall by the wayside as the months move on. In the past year, an alternate path to the New Year resolution has sprung up in the form of a one little word (OLW). It appears to be the trendy thought in the Twittershpere so why not try it out?

Bloggers use the one little word as a mantra that lights the way. One writer recently spoke of the OLW as a soundtrack for the year (such a splendid image). I found my one little word for 2015 that compliments my 2014 word (openness). My guiding word, LISTEN, will become my mantra. I invite this word to become a part of my vocabulary as I listen intently to what life has to offer and what I can bring to my relationships.

I heard my word call me as I approached winter. You can read about the evolution of my OLW here and here. While I am not a huge fan of cold weather and snowbound times, I decided to take a fresh look at winter this season. To honor my new perspective, I sent out an invitation to all to listen to winter's whisperings. Hence, the Winter Whisperings Gallery of Artistic Expressions came to be from a desire to bring diverse writers from around the states and the globe to write how winter touches their lives. I listened to my one little word, Listen, to turn winter into a magical season of possibilities, despite the chill, snowstorms, and all the issues that arise from extreme weather conditions. You can view to my invitation to write for the gallery here. 

Last week for Poetry Friday, Mary Lee Hahn, a colleague, created an acrostic poem about her one little word, notice. Margaret Simon, another colleague, thought that would be a unique way of publicizing our words so I decided to try one out for size. I listened to my heart and here is what it said. 

Then, I searched for a song that might capture the essence of the one little word concept. While the song I found is not a contemporary one, I felt it was a nostalgic way of portraying the one little word theme. 

I have been thinking about the power of the one little word as way to bring positivity to light so I decided that my message for professional development sessions this January would revolve around the OLW. Below is one slide that I created for a reflective writing exercise with educators. The same type of activity, the creation of a Graffiti Wall of OLWs, can be implemented with students. One little words evolve from a reflective stance and look at the year to come and how the message of positivity can enter and affect your world. 

Now it is time to stroll over Two Writing Teachers where you can find other writers Slices of Life.

To contribute to Margaret Simon's DigiLit Sunday site, I am dedicating my professional development work on OLW as a start on how I will integrate technology into literacy.

 Here is a compilation of one little words gathered from last weekend's Celebrate this Week bloggers, using Tagxedo.

Beyond the Dream Lies the Reality

Yesterday, Twitter surfing was a fascinating venture of finding just the right links to gain knowledge and broaden my educational perspective. Continuing with my #nerdlution to grow as a learner, one tweet led to another, then to a blog, and so on - a continual cycle of learning. Facts and thoughts for future blogs, tweets, or training sessions became my treasure, while last minute links to multi-modal tools for young writers rounded off the experience. 

 

The word, dream, surfaced several times during the afternoon, allowing me time to ponder on that one little word. I was intrigued to note that January 13th was “Make Your Dream Come True Day.” Although I never heard of this event, I thought of those who have looked beyond their dreams for opportunities and open doors. Albert Einstein once said, "Nothing happens unless first we dream." Thinking back on Monday night’s experience as a co-moderator for #nyedchat, I reflected on the amazing conversations among educators from around New York State and Connecticut that led to the realization of a dream, to make NYEDChat a linked community of practitioners on Twitter and the voice of New York State educators. For me, this act of connecting with like-minded people to hone my craft as an educator became the benefit of joining the NYEDChat professional learning network. 

As with any fast-paced, engaging chat, tweeters popped in regularly while newbies slowly made their move into the threaded conversation led by co-moderator, Blanca Duarte, and me. Retweeting and greetings were handled by the moderating team of Bill Brennan, Tony Sinanis, and Starr Sackstein. It appeared that everyone enjoyed the new activity created for the chat, tagging one more voice to join the conversation. This hook became the highlight of the night when Tom Whitby and Chris Lehman, both recognizable names in the Twitter world of education, came into the house. The choir of many voices and the desire to link with others brought the vision of a connected community to life. At the end of the chat, the last NYEDChat moderator, Vicki Day, returning from a lengthy Board meeting, spent time post-convo archiving the chat with Storify so that all the tweeters could remember the event that rocked New York State ed world conversations. Needless to say, this chat broadened our membership to include more than the original dozen or so voices. 

On Monday night, the NYEDChat moderators found that beyond the dream lies the reality of New York educators freely conversing on educational topics, regardless of regional boundaries.

When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream.

When we are dreaming with others it is the beginning of reality.

Dom Heller Camara

As we move into 2014, consider joining #nyedchat every other Monday night at 8:30 pm (or designated time for that session) to link with colleagues as we become the voice of New York State Educators. I, along with the other moderators, invite you to look beyond the original dream to the endless possibilities that await us, for in the horizon lies the reality of a connected educational community in New York State.