Happy New Year! I love how every year the New Year gives us a fresh start. As we start over with a whole new calendar, we have a chance to reevaluate how things are going, where we want to be and make a plan for the best way we can get there. Natasha Bedingfield's hit "Unwritten" sort of sums New Year's Day up perfectly for me; I always like to listen to this song and think about the lyrics on NYD. A few phrases that really strike me for kids are: "I'm just beginning/the pen's in my hand/ending unplanned" and "I break tradition/sometimes my tries are outside the lines/we've been conditioned/to not make mistakes but I can't live that way no". I think as parents and teachers it is our job to take the teachable moments in life and really show the kids in our lives how these song lyrics really should play out. We sometimes need to give kids permission to make mistakes or try something new; what better time than the new year to give these permissions?!
For the students reading my blog I really think Natasha Bedingfield sums it up best for you: "Live your life with arms wide open/today is where your book begins/ the rest is still unwritten."
Happy New Year - see you on January 5th!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFFBSSntZgs&feature=player_detailpage
