My #oneword 2016

As I drove home from school today, it dawned on me. I needed to write my #oneword post for 2016. Not because I've done this post for the past two years and I want to keep with the tradition, but because I realized the power of the #oneword.

In 2014 I wrote about finding my JOY, and though it took until the middle of 2015, I found the joy in my profession again when I decided to take a leap and change schools, districts, and content. It required some sacrifice, but I am so much happier teaching in a space where my colleagues share my philosophy and want to create amazing learning experiences for students too. The new joy in my work environment led to more joy in my personal life, hmm, go figure.

In 2015 I wrote about BALANCING my work and personal life. It took quite a bit of will power and then I totally threw my balance out of whack when I took a new job, mentioned above that brought me joy, and took part in the Area 3 Writing Project Summer Invitational Institute and became one of the Project's Teacher Consultants. But, by the end of the year the joy of my new job allowed me to balance work and home by leaving school work at work (for the most part). 

Now, as the new year begins, and I reach the middle of the school year, I realize that my #oneword for 2016 is BREATHE. 

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I am midway through the first year of being a new technology teacher, something I've not done before. The learning curve for my "content" has had no curve at all and is more like a straight line. And, I still have five and a half months left of this not so curved learning curve. Today was another day of me feeling overwhelmed and that I wasn't good at my job, which I know is not the case. If I can remember to breathe and remember I am learning my "content", not how to teach, then I'll be fine. I know how to teach and design learning experiences. So I need to learn with my students a little more this year, no biggie. After all, showing my students that we are in this learning together is a good thing. 

I just need to breathe so I can find my joy, which helps me balance it all.