Resolute

I never make New Years' Resolutions. I have always treated them like diets, ineffective and cliche. If you want to lose weight, change your lifestyle; don't go on some miracle diet. If you want to learn a language, just do it; don't wait for the new year. This year I realized that there is nothing wrong with using the new year as a marker. Lifestyle changes are no less important because they come under the resolution banner.

I have limited myself to three resolutions. When I started teaching, my mentor, John Kerley, suggested that I limit my classroom rules to just three maxims with a series of classroom procedures. Kids can't keep up with more than three rules. Each teacher has their own, sometimes conflicting, set of rules and students are expected to remember each of these. It is an impossible request to make. If you give them three rules and post them prominently, they have no problem keeping up with what is expected.

Here are my three rules/resolutions:

1) Learn Spanish
-I am committed to becoming proficient in Spanish. I will not set a time table for accomplishing this goal but 2009 will be ano nuevo for my Spanish.

2) Play more guitar
-I love playing guitar but never do it. I know the same chords and can play the same songs as six years ago. This will change in 2009. In addition to playing for myself, I will even learn songs by Jimmy Buffett and other insufferable musicians so that I can play for people with poor taste.

3) Run a marathon
-I lost a lot of weight in Holland and, while some of that has been regained, am now light enough that I should avoid some of the small ailments which plagued last year's attempt.

Cheers and good luck in the New Year.