This past year has been one of learning and trying new things. I used the word YES as my guide. My reading impacted heavily as I thought about 2016 and one word to reflect and concentrate on. Reading Rae Pica's book has made me continue to think about child development and focusing on what I know about kids and how they learn. Reading Debbie Miller's book has challenged me to do things that are in line with what I believe. Both of these kept leading me to the word intentional.
But as I kept thinking about all I'm trying to do, I pivoted a little. My word for 2016 is PURPOSE.
This year I will hone statements about my personal educational philosophy and my purpose as a teacher and writer. What do I believe about teaching young kids? What's the purpose of my work, my blog, my life?
The things I write about, the things I tweet or pin, the projects I pursue - all of these will connect to my PURPOSE. I will be intentional--in my teaching, my working, and my life--in what I do in 2016.
Will that mean a change in what you see here? Not really. I will focus on using play and active teaching. I'll focus on preschool, kindergarten, and young kids. Those are things that I have always written about and advocated. But I will definitely be more intentional in what I'm doing.
I'm going to think about PURPOSE in 2016.
What you chosen a word for the year? What will be your focus?
HERE ARE THE POST FROM 2016 ABOUT MY WORD:
January: One Word for 2016: I'm going to focus on my purpose and be intentional
February: The Most Dangerous Phrase?: All strategies--new or old--should be examined
March: Play Is Their Purpose: Play is what children need; it's what we all need.
June: Teaching on Purpose: Can exploration be a part of literacy and math in the classroom?
October: Sometimes It's Not What You Think: Purpose can be evolving over time.
December: Thinking About 2016: Some things I've learned and am continuing to learn about purpose (plus a few other 2016 reflections).
