The following is guest blog post by Bonnie McClelland. Check out her bio below, and follow her on Twitter.
ONE WORD. So simple, and so powerful.
We all remember as children waiting for the iconic Times Square Ball to drop. Thinking we were hot stuff to be able to stay up until…holy cow…12:00 midnight! And always hearing background chatter of the adults talking about those infamous resolutions. For years I couldn’t even pronounce the word, and asked my relatives and teachers about their reVolutions!
Now, for the past couple of years, unlike the predictability of Father Time crossing the threshold each December 31st to welcome in the Baby New Year, resolutions have become a thing of the past. Today it’s ONE WORD.
When my PLN over at Buncee began buzzing about their 2017 words, I was compelled to create a Buncee announcement on the topic. Perhaps this would help me choose my word, and hopefully inspire others as well. Just like an explosive firework in the nighttime sky, the one word should linger. It should create a glow and an impact for all that witness it. It should be seen, heard, and felt for long after the New Year ball drops.
What word will define, lead, and guide you in the new year?
There have been trending hashtags on Twitter. #OneWord2017, #oneword, and #onelittleword have all been ringing in the social media feeds as of late. There’s even a book, Get One Word, to inspire and lead each individual to their choice. The book explains:
“The simple power of One Word is that it impacts all six dimensions of your life–mental, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial. Simply put, One Word sticks.”
I’m going to eat healthy! I’m going to start a budget! I’m going to be more organized! I’m going to work out every morning at 5 am. All positive promises, but many unattainable for more than a week or so perhaps. But one little word to encompass your mind, your health, your work, your family, and your life? Now that’s powerful! Sign me up!
It’s one word that you choose to plant in your mind and heart as you go about your daily life. It’s one word to encourage actions as you live, make decisions, and create attitudes. It’s no wonder that so many have decided to pick just one little dynamic word to fuel their New Year goals.
So with that, I challenge you. Choose ONE WORD! Share it with your friends, explain it to your families, shout it from the rooftops, spread it on Twitter! Explode its loudness into the sky just like my sparkling firework burst on Buncee! You’ll be amazed at how inspiring and empowering one little word can be. That, my friends, is the kind of resolution I want to wrap my heart around.
Bonnie McClelland is an elementary educator with a passion for teaching her students 21st century skills. She has taught second grade, third grade, and now currently, kindergarten. She believes that children are never too little to develop proficiencies that will prepare them for a successful future. She’s a huge proponent of technology use in the classroom, but her target is always on the outcome, and not the tool. The 4Cs–collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking– are her main focus. Bonnie enriches her students’ learning by collaborating and connecting with other classrooms from as near as a neighboring district, to as far as across the globe. In addition to being an elementary teacher and staff developer, she is the proud soccer mom of three children who lovingly think she is the ultimate geek, in every sense of the word.
