Not Necessarily New in the New Year

The year and the decade just ended, so the knee jerk reaction is to come up with resolutions for what we are going to do this coming year differently. In the lives of educators, this is a hard time to "start" something new. Instead, I offer that this is a better time to reflect, refresh, and recommit.

We still have more than half of our year ahead of us, approximately 100 days. In Vermont, late August and early September seem far away and dreamlike. Long sunny days, warmer temperatures, with the hope and promise of the school year to come. And while we are definitely getting more and more minutes of daylight, the further we get from December 21, there is still way more darkness than light, and the temperatures are typically below freezing.

What were we thinking about as we began our school year together? What hopes did we have for our time with our students and our colleagues? What seemed probable four months ago that might be slipping out of reach?

Yes, the new year is an excellent time to make some changes if need be. Yes, the new year is an excellent time to stop old habits that are not fulfilling. Yes, the new year is an excellent time to introduce new routines.

Personally, I'm returning to healthier food choices and more running. I typically give myself a pass during the window between our Friendsgiving and the New Year, simply to be pragmatic. I also find it to be more enjoyable, honestly.

Professionally, I'm recommitting myself to the work of equity. I've been participating in the Leading Equity Virtual Summit this week, and have been so inspired and humbled by the speakers. This tweet from Jeanie Phillips really impacted me:

So as we bring in a new year and a new decade, my hope is that we can honor who we were last year (which is only five days ago) and enhance the work we've done that has gotten us to this point.

Let that be our promise to ourselves and our students.

Photo courtesy of www.etsy.com