One Little Word 2017

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. They're just a way to disappoint yourself and for places like gyms and sporting goods stores to feed on our lofty goals and make money. Still, I do like the idea and symbolism of a new year being about new beginnings. So I've been thinking a lot lately about  how I can improve myself without setting unrealistic goals that I will never fulfill.

In 2015, Ruth Ayres introduced me to the One Little Word challenge, which is to pick a word and live with it for an entire year.

The word I chose for 2015 was actually a word we've all been living with in this classroom since September, but I felt the need to live with it for an entire 12 months:

In 2016, I decided to make my One Little Word a verb:

In searching for my word for 2017, I was reminded of some very powerful words said by Jason Reynolds at the conference I attended in Atlanta back in November. He said that if you really want to have hope, you have to go out and DO SOMETHING. We all have to earn our hope. We can't just sit around and wait for our hope to sprout wings and get to work. WE have to do the work.

And with those words still ringing in my ears, I found my word for 2017:

with the reminder that I have to earn it each and every day.


Ali Edwards first presented this idea of the One Little World in 2006 and has since created ripples all over the world.


As you think about a possible word you would like to live with for the next year, here are some possibilities:
play
peace
vitality
nurture
story
light
up
open
thrive
grace
give
genuine
delight
connect
shine
leap
unhurried
cherish
focus
ask
embrace
gratitude
acceptance
engage
courage
welcome
onward
lighten
grow
presence
compassion
simplify
patience
joy
inspire
accept

Here are some examples of students in teacher Cathy Fiebelkorn's class and their One Little Word:

What do you do with this One Little Word? As Ali Edwards says:
You live with it
You invite it into your life
You let it speak to you
You might even follow it where it leads