My Word

Inspired by a recent post by Kath Murdoch, this school year I have decided not to have a lengthy list of goals or resolutions, instead I will choose one word that will act to guide my professional and personal intentions and actions over the coming months.

And the word is…

Connect. 

I have written out this small, seven letter word and posted it on the wall by my computer to act as a daily reminder of what I hope to accomplish in my second year as PYP Coordinator. For me this one, small word encompasses so many different personal and professional goals:

Connect more with students: This year I would like to spend more time out for recess getting to know our students. I strive to learn more of their names, what they’re interested in and who their brothers and sisters are. I want to spend more time in classrooms, interacting with students, talking to them about what they are learning and celebrating their achievements.

Connect more with parents: This year I would like to reach out to our parent community. In the past, we have had low response rates hosting on-campus academic information sessions. So this year I will try a different avenue. I plan on creating short, five minute videos on YouTube or podcasts about the PYP and sending them out to our parent community through classroom blogs.

Connect more with teachers: This year I aim to spend less time in my office and more time on the playground, wandering through the halls and popping in and out of classrooms. I hope to be more present around campus and accessible when teachers need me. I want to spend more time building relationships with teachers – talking about their families, their weekends, their travels.

Connect more with the online education community: This year I want to reach out and meet other educators around the globe. I strive to transform this blog from a forum where I share my thoughts with readers into an online community that evokes comments from readers and stimulates debates and discussions. I also have recently joined Twitter in hopes of further connecting with the online education community.

They say if you write down your intentions and share them with others you are more likely to follow through with them. So here it is. My word. My intentions. My hopes for the upcoming year.

As we embark on a new school year, what is your word going to be?

(I’m not just asking to ask…I’m actually interested in your answer! Please help me begin to work on my goal of connecting more with the online community by leaving a comment and sharing ‘your word’.)