My #oneword2021 is FLEXIBILITY. As a new teacher, I aim to practice intentional adaptability, adjustment, resilience, and growth in every environment and situation I encounter. @EducationUnbc #HappyNewYear2021 šš pic.twitter.com/fyZxEDGvwa
— Cedar Sherman (@ShermanCedar) January 4, 2021
After much careful thinking and contemplation, I have decided that my #OneWord2021 is FLEXIBILITY. The top three definitions of FLEXIBLE from a Google Search include ācapable of bending easily without breakingā, āable to be easily modified to respond to altered circumstances or conditionsā, and āready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstancesā. This resonated deeply with me as I feel that as a new teacher, success relies on oneās ability to adapt and pivot without compromising student learning. I also feel that 2021 will be a year full of constant changes and perhaps even trials and tribulations. Success will be reliant on my ability to be resilient and to be able to ābounce backā from struggles. My intentional goal is to be able to meet everything that I encounter throughout the year with an open mind and the ability to adapt. Being able to adjust without cracking under pressures is essential especially as a new teacher not only facing the challenges of adapting to a new work environment but dealing with the new challenges that COVID-19 brings to the profession of teaching. 2021 will be a year of many new changes and implementations in order to create a safer working and learning environment for all. For me, FLEXIBILITY aligns closely with GROWTH-MINDSET because in order to grow, we cannot become static or complacent. Education is ever changing, and my goal is to become comfortable with having a fluid and transformative self.
After watching the Teachers on Fire YouTube video about several educatorsā #OneWord2021, I was especially inspired by the POWER and the WHY behind the one-word practice. I loved how Debbie Tannenbaum described #OneWord2021 as a mindset and a framework rather than a resolution. This makes it seem much more achievable and less intimidating. Steph Rothstein helped to concretize the idea by explaining that #OneWord2021 is an attempt to contextualize intentions and personal goals by providing FOCUS. Bryon Carpenter further solidified this idea by emphasizing the importance of #OneWord2021 fitting on a post-it note. Even though this was a simple idea, it really resonated with me as I find that setting goals and intentions for oneself can become over-critical and over-complicated. By providing myself with ONE important idea, my intention and energy can be focused on my ability to practice FLEXIBILITY in my professional life and pedagogy.