It’s the beginning of January, and that only means one thing- time to pick your word of the year.
When I first started seeing this trend, I felt like I was not being a good human. I pretty much just try to keep my head on straight most of the time, and all these people were choosing these wise and empowering words to drive their goals for the coming year. So when I chose, I couldn’t be disingenuous about it by choosing something Zen like believe, accomplish, or courage. It wouldn’t ring true to people who know me, you know?
I started thinking about this a couple of days ago when I saw the first post, and I was finally struck with inspiration today.
My word of the year is LIT.
Now hear me out before you judge! There are several reasons why this word is PERFECT for me.
All the meanings of “lit”
Let’s examine the ways this word works for me. First, lit is short for literature. I am an English teacher, so this is an obvious link to the word. It also reminds me that I have been wanting to shake up my curriculum and possibly introduce some new titles in the coming school year. I’d like to do it in the coming semester, but I’m trying to be realistic. I never want to be one of those teachers who gets so entrenched in their lesson plans that they never infuse new titles, ideas, and skills because it’s easier to keep with the status quo.
Secondly, lit is the past tense of light. Isn’t this my goal as a teacher all the time? Not just for a year? I want to light a spark in my kids. I want them to find that thing about them that makes them special. I want them to discover that school is a tool and not an enemy. So at the end of every school year, I hope I have lit the flame of discovery inside my students.
For people my age, lit also means drunk. Now, it’s not a goal of mine to be drunk, but what this does remind me of is to have some wine and move on. There isn’t anything I do daily that is so life-altering that I should let it take over my life. Have a bad day? Drink a glass of pinot noir and get on with it. Lesson didn’t go to plan? Have a nip of merlot and reassess. Meetings and data disaggregation getting you down? Grab a good petite sirah and move on.
Lastly, lit nowadays means cool. Full disclosure- I will never be considered cool. It’s actually not a goal of mine, so the idea behind this meaning of the word is to remember that I’m an adult. I’m supposed to be the voice of reason and maturity in my classroom. If my kids (students or my own children) think I’m cool, I’m doing something wrong. That being said, I will stick to my nerdy, scholarly ways to make sure that the word lit is never said by my students to describe me.
When you’re choosing your word, make sure you choose something that will fit all the aspects of your life. I would love to hear your words, even if they aren’t as out there as mine.
Happy new year! To read about my Resolutions Reboot, visit my post.
