Do You Want Drastic Change This School Year, Try The One Word Resolution!

If you really want to make a drastic change this year, try the One Word Resolution!  When you focus on one word every day, all year long, you are creating a new habit…  It’s small change with a lasting impact that can redefine you and help you move towards the person you want to be.  You must make a commitment and be very intentional and you too can transform into a better you!As educators we are pulled in various directions and wear multiple hats at home and at work.  We must be flexible to meet the needs of our students at school and family at home.  The struggle is real and it’s hard to make changes.  Over the years, I have found starting the new year off with a One Word Resolution helps me stay intentional, committed, and focused on my goals.  Mike Ashcraft is known for the term and many have published on this concept but when you apply your goals to your life it will become a habit that students can benefit from too.Let me share my one word, from several years ago… I was an elementary teacher in first grade and my one word was health.  I wanted to become healthier sooner rather than twenty years from now.  While I didn’t join a gym, I had an idea of the characteristics I wanted to adopt for myself such as healthy eating, exercise, and a positive growth mindset.  Understanding what health meant to me gave me a launching pad to start setting intentional goals.

One-Word Transforming Family Habits

I started off by monitoring my intake.  I buy the groceries so I choose healthy snacks and refrained from bringing chips, pop, and treats in the house.  When driving to work, I would always search for the nearest parking space.  This behavior slightly changed; I made a concerted effort to add in a couple of extra steps.  I would play with the kids often, but would be winded and the time spent would be limited.  It wasn’t often, but I would intentionally participate in games and introduce them to new sports while staying engaged.

One-Word Transform a School

My one-word (health) extended to my classroom so on rainy days during my indoor recess time, I put in a Billy Blanks Tae Bo video we would enjoy kicking and punching the air so much that students asked for this instead of going outside to recess.  I’m dating myself here but my students told other classes and their parents and we eventually extended this opportunity to parents and other classes in our school.    We would meditate after Tae Bo to cool down and sometimes before a district assessment.  We often practiced midday meditation after lunch.  Later in the year, I wrote a grant and connected with the Nutrition Network in Los Angeles and our school was awarded 150, 000 towards healthy food donations. Each classroom received vegetables each month to explore, eat, cook in the classroom.  This one-word became a habit for my family and my extended school family, Noble Elementary.Now it’s your turn to develop your one-word habit!  This year is about personal change.  Use the sentence stem below and tell me what your one-word will be?I ______, am going to commit to ______ by...Insert name, and your one wordResources:http://oneword365.com/ https://www.fastcompany.com/3040362/how-one-word-can-change-your-new-yearhttps://www.wiley.com/en-us/One+Word+That+Will+Change+Your+Life%2C+Expanded+Edition-p-9781118809426 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201203/four-good-times-day-meditate-and-one-avoid