#oneword2018

I haven't done very well with making this blog a priority, but that will change this year. I know I've said that before...but it's part of my #oneword for this year. You do what you make a priority and growing as an educator is going to be a priority this year. I know I've said it before, but having a PLN has been a game changer for me. It's opened my world to connections outside of my own little world in my system. It's spoken life when I wasn't sure I had any, and most of all it has been where I've been reminded over the last couple of years especially that I have a voice and something to share. So many times we let labels define what our voices are instead of letting our being define us. We are more than a label, more than a role...we all have a piece to add to the puzzle and a voice to add to the mix. As Angela Maiers as always says, the world needs your contribution. We all get discouraged at times and think we do not have anything to offer. Feelings are not truth and 2018 is the year for being to be louder than feeling. Let's not focus simply on making the moments count, but on making the moments matter.

I chose being for my #oneword this year. I wanted a word that would work for my personal life and my professional life. In my quiet times with God throughout the last month or so of 2017, the truth of feeling vs. being was a topic of discussion. The word never said we wouldn't feel certain ways, but it said to be. That's where the word being started to take root. My verse is Acts 17:28 where it says In Him we live and move and have our being.  I struggle sometimes with doubting my abilities and not thinking I have anything to offer. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the "I'm just a_____" that we lose sight of who we are. What we do isn't who we are and that's the theme for 2018. You have something to contribute, something to add to your school, your group of educators...share it. The hardest person to convince to believe in you is you. Don't put limits on you based on what has been said or not said...stay focused on your passions, what excites you...and find an avenue to share that. Twitter and blogs are a great resource for finding a connection. I've presented at state conferences, at ISTE a few years ago, and regularly present webinars for Simple K-12. Last year I also recorded a podcast episode for 10MT for Teachers (Vicki Davis). Yet I still had moments where my do overrode my who and I found myself going, am I making a difference, an impact. My do was focused on busy instead of focused on being. For me, the presentations are wonderful and I'm so thankful for the opportunities that continue...it's about connections though. It's in those connections where you find a purpose and a drive that keeps you going. It's those connections where you have that mentor that continues to remind you that you have a voice when you start to doubt you. It's in those connections that you are empowered to pour into other teachers what's been poured into you. At the end of the day....if we gave all we had if we did all we could, and if we loved all we met....then we are leaving an impact that not only counts but matters.

Educators be you this year and make a difference that will last beyond 2018.