New year, New opportunity

Each new year presents an opportunity for renewal and shedding the negatives of the previous year. I think for most of us 2020 is a year we are happy to say goodbye to and will attempt to pump as far in our rear view as possible.

As I look back at 2020, there were some wonderful memories made, but there was plenty of chaos as well. I am reminded of a quote Scott Drue shared in a post titled 15 Years of Leadership Thoughts Worth Considering.

Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some storms come to clear your path. - Anonymous

This past year has impacted the lives of millions of people around the world, and I certainly would not diminish the real suffering and devastation that will undoubtedly continue into the new year. However, I think as the quote says sometimes these negative events can clear a path. It's all about viewpoint. If we truly had a clean slate, what would we do with it? I'm reminded of another bit of wisdom from the poet Rumi.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. - Rumi

We don't have to change the world. Rarely are we afforded that kind of power. It's often ephemeral and only apparent in hindsight. However we are much more likely to have the power to change ourselves any given day. If 2020 has taught me anything it's that we have to focus on controlling what we can control.

I typically avoid New Years resolutions like the plague. Usually winds up being a list of shame. Instead of setting smart goals and pinning them up in my office like I have in the past, I am going to use three guiding words to shape my focus over the next year: Listen, Learn, Build.

Listen

This past year has taught me that I need to listen more. I need to listen to my students, my family, and myself. I can't control what others are saying, but I can make sure I am listening deeply. I want to listen to more than just the words. I want to cultivate my ability to empathize with the person behind those words. That includes learning to listen to the emotions behind my own words.

Learn

My motto is Never Stop Learning, and this year I want to focus that learning into tangible products. Too often I learn something, and then move on to the next new thing of interest. This year I want to make my learning visible. One of the things I realized as the pandemic altered the way we do school is that I have limited control over what my students learn. It was a difficult reminder that despite hours of designing learning experiences, students are ultimately in control. I can draw the blueprint, but they determine how it gets constructed. This year I want to model want it means to be a learner for my students. In order to make that happen I want to produce viable examples of my learning. The best way to inspire life long learning in others is to commit to those practices yourself.

Build

Entropy represents the idea that things eventually lose energy and devolve into disorder. This past year has been full of chaos and destruction. One of the things I realized is how very little we can do to prevent it. Sometimes powerful forces remind us how truly small we are and the global pandemic has been one such event of historical proportions. Even in normal times entropy whittles away at our efforts. In order to combat entropy we have to put energy back in the system. This year I want to build sustainably. I want to put energy back into the system and build things that I can maintain myself. Whether it's building relationships or curriculum, I want to look for opportunities to build back what time and the past year has torn down.

Conclusions

My focus this year will be to listen, to learn, and to build. I want to seize the new opportunities brought by the new year, and I look forward a fresh start to the year. I just hope I have the strength to start again. I leave you with this quote from the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: