As a new calendar year begins, I’m launching new projects in the classroom. One of our newest additions is the Paragraph of the Week writing project. Inspired by other bloggers, I’ve joined a few of my Eagle Ridge colleagues who are making paragraph writing a routine part of every week. This past week, I asked my students to choose One Little Word to help shape their goals and aspirations for 2015. Blogger Ali Edwards started this annual tradition in 2006. In her description of the One Little Word project, Ali tells us, “A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything.”

     So I asked my sixth graders, “What one little word will define you in 2015? What single word will guide you through this year, keep you focused on your goals, and be a touchstone reminder of what you hope to improve or to achieve?” That’s a tall order for eleven- and twelve year-olds, but they embraced the project and delivered a bevy of thoughtful writings. Visit our class blog roll on the right side of this post to delve into their word choices. For now, I’ll share out the reasoning behind mine.

     Identifying one little word to represent 365 days is like choosing a single shell from the millions that bedazzle a seashore. The possibilities are boundless. As I simmered over my five candidates, one word–choices–rose to the surface. Why choices? My choices determine how I live this life I’ve been gifted. Far too often, my choices fail to represent my priorities and passions. I work too late and miss after-school conversation with my children. I park myself in front of a screen instead of working up a sweat on a trail or treadmill. In the classroom, too, I want wise choices to drive my lesson planning. I’ve promised my 74 students they’ll have more choices every day in 2015–from who they partner with or what they write about to how they show mastery or what book they read. In and out of the classroom, my choices define the quality of my life, the relationships I nurture, and the impact I have on others. In the year ahead, I want my choices to make me and my creator proud.