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My One Word for 2026: Alive

Posted in Change, Health, Technology, tagged , , on January 2, 2026| 5 Comments »

This marks the 11th year of my One Word tradition. Eleven years. When I started this practice back in 2016, I was 42 years old and hungry. Literally, that was my word. Hungry. I wanted to compete, to stay curious, to keep pushing. And here I am, a decade later, still hungry but now asking different questions about what that means.

Before I get to 2026, let me say this about 2025 and “Thrive.” It delivered. In a year where it would have been easy to retreat into cynicism or exhaustion, I chose to flourish instead. I wrote more than I have in years, and it never felt like a chore. I ran every single day. I spent my summer coaching basketball with young athletes who remind me why I do this work. I leaned into AI not as a threat but as an invitation to rethink learning. I found great satisfaction in work and with those I work with.   Thrive was about sustaining momentum and finding joy in that momentum. It worked.

So what comes next?

This word is not about doing more. It is about feeling more, without losing momentum.

My word for 2026 is Alive.

Why Alive?

I turn 53 this year. Regular readers know I feel my age more than ever (I keep bringing it up), and I mean that in both the best and most humbling ways. There are strands of grey in my hair that were not there five years ago. My recovery from long runs takes longer than it used to. I notice things now that I never noticed before: the way my knees feel on cold mornings, the reading glasses I now keep in three different places, the names that take an extra second (or sometimes minute) to retrieve.

And yet.

I am not checking out. My body may be changing, but my commitment to showing up has not. My run streak will cross 2,000 days in 2026. I will keep coaching. I will keep writing. I will keep appearing in classrooms and  conference rooms with intention and energy, even when generating that energy requires more deliberate effort than it used to.

A friend of mine, Anthony, texted me recently. He is not in education; he is a successful entrepreneur. His message was simple: “Call me.” He does that sometimes. When I did, he started right in. “You know what makes us different? No matter what happens today, we show up tomorrow and attack the day. We don’t get stuck in what happened. We just keep moving forward.”

That is what Alive means to me. Not ignoring the hard stuff. Not pretending the grey hair and the sore knees do not exist. But choosing, every single day, to show up and engage anyway.

Alive is my answer to a world that feels increasingly numb. In a time filled with cynics and critics, with doom-scrolling and disengagement, I am choosing to stay fully present. To feel things. To remain curious when it would be easier to become jaded. To stay optimistic when pessimism seems more sophisticated.

Being alive means more than existing. It means showing up with your whole self, not some protected, half version. It means being willing to be changed by what you encounter.

Building on a Decade of Words

When I look back at my words over the past decade, I see a story. Each word was right for its moment, and together they form something larger than any single year.

The early years were about drive: Hungry (2016), Hope (2017), Relevance (2018), Delight (2019).

The middle years were about resilience: Hustle (2020), Optimism (2021), Focus (2022), Coached (2023).

The recent years have been about integration: Accelerate (2024), Thrive (2025).

And now, 2026: Alive.

Alive feels like a synthesis of all of it. You cannot be truly alive without hunger and hope. You cannot be alive without relevance and delight. You cannot be alive without focus and the willingness to be coached. Being alive requires both acceleration and the wisdom to know what thriving actually looks like.

Alive in a Changing World

We are living through one of the most significant shifts in how humans learn and work. AI is not coming; it is here. And I want to be fully alive to what that means, not as a passive observer but as an active participant shaping how we integrate these tools in our schools.

But here is what I keep coming back to:

The more powerful the technology becomes, the more important the human elements are.

Connection. Curiosity. Creativity. Compassion. These are not things AI can replicate. They are the things that make us alive.

In 2026, I want to be alive to both realities. I want to keep exploring what AI can do for learning while never losing sight of what only humans can do for each other. I want to be in classrooms watching teachers and students navigate this new landscape together. I want to ask good questions and resist easy answers. I want to model what it looks like to embrace change without abandoning what matters most.

Alive in Body and Relationship

For me, being alive has always been connected to physical movement. My run streak is not about athletic achievement. It is about presence. Every morning when I lace up my shoes and step outside, I am choosing to be alive to that day. Rain or shine, tired or energized, home or traveling. The streak is a daily declaration: I am here. I am engaged.

In 2026, I will keep running. I will keep coaching basketball. I will keep prioritizing the habits that have carried me this far: 10,000 steps, daily movement, attention to what I put in my body (OK – this last one needs to be better).

But being alive is also about the people around me. My family. My colleagues. The educators I work alongside. Relationships require the same consistency as run streaks. You show up. You do the work. You stay curious about the people next to you, even when you think you know them completely.

Alive and Hopeful

I know the world can feel heavy right now. There is no shortage of reasons to disengage, to protect yourself, to lower your expectations. Cynicism is easy. Hope is harder.

But I keep choosing hope. Not naive hope that ignores reality, but stubborn hope that insists on possibility anyway. Hope that believes education can be better. Hope that trusts young people to rise to challenges we cannot yet imagine. Hope that sees AI as a tool for human flourishing rather than replacement.

Being alive means staying open to wonder. It means maintaining the curiosity that has driven my career and my writing. It means refusing to let age or experience calcify into certainty. The older I get, the more I realize how much I do not know. And that feels like a gift, not a limitation.

All In

So yes, I may be greyer. I may be slower in some ways. But I am all in on 2026.

All in on learning.
All in on family.
All in on health.
All in on this beautiful, complicated, rapidly changing world.

Alive is not a passive state. It is a choice, made daily, sometimes hourly. It is the choice to engage rather than withdraw. To feel rather than numb. To hope rather than despair. To keep saying yes.

That is the Culture of Yes I have been writing about for 16 years now. And it turns out, it has always been about being fully, stubbornly, joyfully alive.

What word will guide your 2026?

And want a second opinion on picking a word,  here is what Daniel Pink said this week about the power of the one word process.  

Previous One Word Posts:

2016: Hungry

2017: Hope

2018: Relevance

2019: Delight

2020: Hustle

2021: Optimism

2022: Focus

2023: Coached

2024: Accelerate

2025: Thrive

The image at the top of this post was generated through AI.  Various AI tools were used as feedback helpers (for our students this post would be a Yellow assignment – see link to explanation chart) as I edited and refined my thinking.

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My One Word for 2025 – Thrive

Posted in Change, Personalized Learning, SD45, Technology, tagged , , on January 7, 2025| 4 Comments »

As change accelerates at an unprecedented pace, particularly with AI, 2025 calls for something deeper than speed—it calls for thriving. After a year devoted to acceleration in 2024, I find myself drawn to a word that represents not just progress, but flourishing in every aspect of leadership and life. Whether it’s coaching youth sports, lacing up my shoes for morning running, or leading groundbreaking AI initiatives in our district, “thrive” captures the essence of what I aim to achieve in 2025. Thrive also more broadly speaks to me as not just a professional goal, but one that hits my personal goals as well.

This marks the 10th year of my “One Word” tradition. Looking back at 2024 and “accelerate,” it was a year of urgency and innovation. We embraced the challenge of supporting AI across our district and networking with jurisdictions around BC, Canada and the world. We advanced literacy and numeracy initiatives and focused on mental and physical health. The pace was intense but rewarding. While acceleration was about building momentum, thriving is about sustaining and flourishing with that momentum.

Why Thrive for 2025?

Sustainable Innovation

Thriving means not just keeping pace with change, but shaping it thoughtfully. In the fast-evolving AI landscape, it’s about balancing innovation with educational fundamentals. We’ll approach AI integration like I approach basketball coaching – start with the fundamentals (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity) and then layer in innovative tools that enhance these core skills. Just as a strong defensive foundation enables more dynamic offensive plays, strong teaching fundamentals will ensure our AI efforts enhance learning rather than overshadow it.

Collective Growth

True thriving isn’t just about individual success; it’s about collective achievement. Watching young athletes develop skills, seeing educators embrace new technologies, and spending meaningful time with family all contribute to a sense of shared growth. Thriving lifts us all.

Depth and Breadth

Like training for a marathon, thriving requires both speed work and endurance. It’s about growing deeper in our initiatives while broadening their reach. Whether it’s making new learning approaches and tools accessible for all educators or deepening relationships within my community, thriving ensures our progress is impactful and lasting. For example, this year, I am focusing on spending more time in classrooms learning with and from teachers using AI in their classes.

Balance

Thriving captures the delicate harmony between pushing boundaries and maintaining well-being. Balancing district leadership, being involved in youth sports, running, blogging, and family time demands intentionality. For me, this means protecting my early morning runs as devotedly as I guard time for family dinners and summer basketball trips, and approaching my district leadership with equal enthusiasm and presence.

Resilience

To thrive means to grow stronger through challenges. Whether it’s navigating the complexities of educational transformation or powering through the final stretch of a long run, thriving requires adaptability and the ability to turn obstacles into opportunities. My run streak is never boring – I plan to run at least 5 km everyday this year, just like I have for almost 4 years.

Impact

At its core, thriving is about making a meaningful difference. In our district, it’s about fostering environments where students flourish. In sports, it’s about shaping not just skilled players but well-rounded individuals. At home, it’s about nurturing relationships that energize and sustain us.

Moving Forward

As I look ahead to 2025, I’m excited to transform the momentum of acceleration into a year of thriving. Whether it’s crafting my next blog post, leading an AI initiative, coaching a game, or stepping out for an early morning run, my goal isn’t just to participate or succeed—it’s to embrace every opportunity fully and flourish in all I do.

I’m curious – what word will guide your journey in 2025? How does it reflect your hopes and aspirations for the year ahead? Share your word, and together, let’s inspire each other to thrive.

Previous One Word Posts:

2016 – Hungry

2017 – Hope

2018 – Relevance

2019 – Delight

2020 – Hustle

2021 – Optimism

2022 – Focus

2023- Coached

2024 – Accelerate

I used Chat GPT to create the image at the top of the post.  I also used both Chat GPT and Claude in the brainstorming phase of my word selection.  I described what I was hoping to accomplish in 2025 and used AI to help generate potential words from which to choose.

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My One Word for 2024 – Accelerate

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , on January 9, 2024| 3 Comments »

I heard the phrase, “superintendent as accelerator”, a few months ago and it really stuck with me.  It is a dynamic and forward-looking theme that is about motivating to lead with a sense of urgency, embracing innovation, and driving positive change throughout all my work.  Just what I am looking for in 2024.  It is my year to accelerate.  

This is the 9th year of my “One Word” Tradition. You can see the full list at the end of this post with all the links.  Before I get into 2024, let me talk about 2023 – and my word “coached”.  I know we often just put the best version out on the internet of what we want people to see, but honestly, I didn’t do well meeting the goals captured by my 2023 word for the year.  Coached was built around a commitment to being coached.  I joined a professional network, where I participated in regular coaching calls, set goals, read (a lot), listened to motivational talks from a variety of industries and generally tried to embrace being professionally coached.  And it started well.  But I just didn’t follow through all year in a committed way.  I think I need the accountability of a personal coach rather than just being part of a group, and I needed to be more clear about what specifically I wanted to be “coached” on.  So, it wasn’t what I might have hoped – but still some good learning.

And onto 2024.  And accelerate.  I think all the energy around generative AI has definitely contributed to my choice of words for this year.  I also like the implied urgency that comes with the word. 

To describe it in more detail, I like accelerate for this year because:

It is about pace – It is not just waiting around for innovation and improvement within the school district. It signals a proactive approach to achieving goals.  I think about our work around numeracy and transitions in our district and how we want to accelerate them in 2024.

It is about pushing boundaries – Back to the generative AI topic among others, accelerating is about embracing innovative strategies to enhance the learning experience for our students and the professional development of staff.

It is about adaptability – In our rapidly changing landscape of education, “accelerate” underscores the importance of adaptability and flexibility. It encourages us to respond swiftly to emerging challenges and opportunities.

It is about technology – Accelerate aligns with the adoption of innovative technologies and teaching practices. It encourages us to explore cutting-edge approaches that can modernize the educational experience for both students and staff.

It is about focus – We have a clear strategic plan, and a framework to enhance student learning that are guiding documents for our work.  Accelerating is about setting ambitious but achievable targets and mobilizing resources effectively to meet those objectives.

It is about student learning – The ultimate goal of acceleration is improved student success. As the world changes quickly around us, we  focus on initiatives that accelerate learning experiences, ensuring that students are achieving their full potential.

I am excited about using accelerate as a theme for my work in the year ahead.

What is your word for 2024?

And here are my previous words linked to the posts:

2016 – Hungry

2017 – Hope

2018 – Relevance

2019 – Delight

2020 – Hustle

2021 – Optimism

2022 – Focus

2023- Coached

All the best for the year ahead!

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My One Word for 2023 – COACHED

Posted in Change, tagged , on January 2, 2023| 6 Comments »

A different kind of word for me this year.  Coached is not a word that I see others often use as their word for the year ahead.  It has a number of angles for me.  For the first time in my career I am taking on a sustained coaching program for the year that will hopefully make me a better, more intentional leader.   Coached also speaks to my goal of providing better feedback to staff to help them improve.  And finally, coached hits on one of my great joys – spending my summer training young AAU basketball athletes.

This is the 8th year of my “One Word” Tradition. In 2016, I wrote about Hungry and then in 2017, my first post of the year I dedicated to Hope. I feel both words were ones that were good ones for the times I wrote them. In 2018, I shared  what I described as my desperate need in my work for Relevance, and then in 2019, it was Delight – a new twist on the power and importance of joy. Then, in 2020, my word was Hustle, which was actually a good fit for what was needed as COVID upended our lives. As we start to emerge from COVID in 2021, I committed to Optimism. For the past year, my word has been Focus.  As I re-read my post from last year, I am a little disappointed that I did get distracted during the year.  It was the right word, but I didn’t live up to it enough and was not clear enough about what I wanted to focus on.

A few years ago, I never thought I would commit to professional coaching.  I don’t know why.  Almost all the progress I have made in my life has come from working with teachers, mentors and coaches.  When I wanted to learn to swim a few years ago, it was obvious I would need a coach.  But I want to be a better leader.  So, I need a coach.  I will not list the program (maybe a later post depending how this experience goes) but I have committed to a daily coaching program as a part of a large network of leaders across a range of sectors for 2023.  I want to be a better, more purposeful leader. I don’t need to go to conferences, I need support tailored to me.  Having been in the same position for a dozen years, it could be easy to get complacent.  I want to get coached, so staleness does not happen.

Of course, I don’t just want to be coached, I want to be a better coach.  I admire a number of my colleagues who are very good at giving specific feedback to help other team members improve.  And the number one request I get from staff during growth plan meetings is for clear, honest feedback on how they can be better.  I want to be better at giving this kind of feedback.  So, being part of being coached, is also my commitment to be a better coach.

And finally, it is not just professional.  I love to spend my time away from work coaching sports – particularly basketball.  And I am excited for a big summer with our VK Basketball group traveling North America, coaching young players and helping them achieve their goals.  And for them to get better, I need to keep getting better.  It is time to push my coaching.

So, a different kind of word, and a series of different kinds of goals.  It is time to coach and be coached and be better in 2023 than I was in 2022.

Just writing this is getting me excited for the year ahead!

What word is guiding your 2023?

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My One Word (2021)

Posted in Change, tagged , , , on January 1, 2021| 6 Comments »

2021 is going to be better than 2020.  I do read all the “good riddance” to 2020 posts, and it is true there was a lot of crappy things.  The horrible toll of COVID on lives and livelihoods combined with a series of other events that seemed to lead to one downer after another.  There were also glimmers of the future.  Like many, I wrote posts about school, and sports, and life in general could emerge from the pandemic not with a return to the way things used to be, but to something new – where the lessons of the last year were applied permanently changing behaviours that never would have changed if not for the pandemic.  I actually considered a word like “pumped” for 2021, but I scaled it back a bit.  I still feel building energy for the year ahead.  

So, that leads into my word for this year – Optimism

This is the 6th year of my “One Word” Tradition. In 2016 I wrote about Hungry and then in 2017 my first post of the year was dedicated to Hope. I feel both words were ones that were good ones for the times they were written. In 2018 I wrote about what I described as my desperate need in my work for Relevance, and then in 2019 it was Delight – a new twist on the power and importance of joy.  Last year my word was Hustle.  Despite 2020 being very different than what any of us would have predicted, hustle really fit well.  It was a year where I worked more days than any year in my life, doing different work than I ever imagined and spent the year creating on the go.  

Optimism is central to so many educators I know.  It really helps define our work.  When asked about how many chances a child has, the answer is almost always – at least one more.  We believe that our efforts can positively change the trajectory of young lives, and that all our students are capable of changing, improving and growing.   To quote Colleen Wilcox, “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”

OK, but why particularly this year?

I will start professionally.  We have learned a lot during the pandemic about different ways to deliver education.  It all hasn’t worked perfectly.  And yet, particularly at secondary, new models have seen a lot of positive feedback, and in many cases, created better connections between teachers and students, and greater ownership of students of their learning.  As we likely have more flexibility next fall in how we deliver our programs, we have the opportunity to take the positive learnings from this past year and apply them and hopefully not need to be as rigid with cohorts and other health and safety rules that continue to be in place now.  This is truly the once-in-a-career moment for us as educators to think differently about schooling and not just revert back to the way it used to be, but to take the experimentation of this year and develop new models for the future.  

And personally, this should be the year I finish my doctorate.  I have moved to the candidate stage and I am writing and hopefully soon fully launch into the research.  I have written before HERE about my project, and I am so interested in better understanding the role of the superintendent, and how it is done similarly and differently across the province.  The work will hopefully be a launching pad for conversations around the superintendency.  And maybe, finally, my kids will be able to explain to people what their dad does for a job.

And of course there is COVID.  We are likely in for some dark days still ahead across the globe.  But here comes the vaccine.  I am hopeful my 80-year-old mom is just a couple months away from vaccination and maybe by summer all of us will have this layer of protection.  Seeing the end, even if it not yet clearly defined, bring hope and optimism.

2021 is going to be a really good year.  I am excited about traveling, coaching basketball, going to conferences, watching school events in-person and helping transition child #2 to university.   I am also ready to change and not just go back to 2019.  I love that I walk more, go to fewer unnecessary meetings, and even get a bit more sleep than I did before the pandemic.  

I chose to be in the optimism business – and I have got a really good feeling about the year ahead.

So, what is your word?

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My One Word (2019)

Posted in Change, tagged , , , on January 13, 2019| 9 Comments »

This is the 4th year of my “One Word” Tradition.  In 2016 I wrote about Hungry and then in 2017 my first post of the year was dedicated to Hope.  I feel both words were ones that were good ones for the times they were written.  In looking at 2017, it was a year of hope with shifts in education and a new provincial government.  When it came to the world of teaching and learning, it was hope realized.  Last year I wrote about what I described as my desperate need in my work for Relevance.

So what about 2019?

This year my word is Delight.  I have actually tested a few different words.  I wrote partial blog posts on Optimism and Enjoy.  Then a teacher colleague of mine Spencer Capier shared a Jessica Lahey article, Teaching, Just Like Performing Magic.   The article which shared Teller‘s (of famed Penn and Teller) view on education really resonated with me around my hopes for this year.

I loved the argument from Teller talking about his early teaching days:

 “I’m 5’8” and was about 160 pounds those days, so I was not the kind of person who could walk into a room of rowdy kids and [they] would just pay attention to me. What I have, however, is delight. I get excited about things. That is at the root of what you want out of a teacher; a delight in what the subject is, in the operation. That’s what affects students.”

Delight.  What a great word.  Kind of a new twist on the ideas of my friend and colleague Dean Shareski and his commitment to joy.

This is what I want for myself this year.  I want to continue to get excited about things.  It does come back to the Culture of Yes notion, the idea that we default to yes.  And this is really about getting excited about what others are excited about, and then getting others excited about what you are excited about.  And delight is such a great word.  Not one we use too often. For me to be full of delight, it is about showing up, bringing energy and being constantly curious.  I know in the adult world, whether at work or home we often think we should hide our glee.  Like it is kind of childish.  I know that is how I felt as a beginning teacher, new principal and rookie superintendent.  But our outward excitement is actually so often important.

I think of my super-talented colleague Diane Nelson who runs our academies.  She is always excited.  Her excitement is almost exhausting for those of us who work with her.  She does amazing things, and builds incredible programs.  And when we think she is finally done, she creates another.  It is this glee, excitement and delight I want to show more of in all aspects of my life this year.

I love this further idea from Teller expressed in the article:

Teller argued, the teacher has a duty to engage, to create romance that can transform apathy into interest, and, if a teacher does her job well, a sort of transference of enthusiasm from teacher to student takes place. The best teachers, Teller contended, find a way to teach content while keeping students interested. “If you don’t have both astonishment and content, you have either a technical exercise or you have a lecture.”

And just as Teller speaks of doing this at the classroom level, nothing changes when we think of the work we do at the district level.  As we continue to teach and learn – some astonishment and content pulled together can go a long way!

So in personal life and my professional – I am looking for a year of delight.  If you see me, keep me honest with it!

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My One Word (2018)

Posted in Change, tagged , , on January 12, 2018| 10 Comments »

 

This is the 3rd year of my “One Word” Tradition.  In 2016 I wrote about Hungry and in 2017 my first post of the year was dedicated to Hope.  I feel both words were ones that were good ones for the times they were written.  In looking at 2017, it was a year of hope with shifts in education and a new provincial government.  When it came to the world of teaching and learning, it was hope realized.

So what about 2018?

This year my word is Relevance.  It is interesting to see the social media posts as others post words for the year.  I see words like love, gratitude, empathy and others.  And when I test them out for me – they do not work.   My digital colleague, Dean Shareski suggested my word should be “Lucky” and he actually had a good point.  But, I landed on relevance.

I am desperate to be relevant.  It is part of why I blog.  Blogging forces me to make my thinking public.  It is easy to shy-away from the big conversations, but I want to be in the middle of them.  I want to continue to think about education in ways that helps shape the narrative about our future.  I do not fear disagreement, but I do worry that I get to a point where my thoughts and ideas are just ignored.  That would be way worse.  I want to be part of the dialogue.  And relevance is largely up to me in this regard.  I need to continue to read, question, explore and get out and see what others are doing.  I work in a very high performing school district, which has a great reputation for innovation.  But we always need to be looking beyond where we are.  Our job is to be looking around the corner, to help people see what is next.

It is not just my own need to stay relevant to the educational world, and ensure our district stays relevant.  Relevance speaks to what we need to have happening every day with students in our schools.  From the “what” we teach to the “how” we teach it, we need to ensure we do it in ways to meet the needs of the modern student.  Just before Christmas our Board approved new programs that will create specialty programs for high school students in areas including:  table tennis, environmental sciences, engineering, computer animation and volleyball.  These add to the choice program opportunities that include options from robotics, to rugby to honour choir classes at night and basketball academy classes on the weekend.  Everything we hear about public education being the key to a democratic society is very true.  And it is true that public education is about the ongoing growth of our communities.  And it will stay that way if our system continues to be relevant for our students in this changing world.

So, as someone finishing their 11th year in this district, and 8th year as Superintendent, I know relevance could be a blind spot for me.  It is easy to do this year just like last year.  I know that in the long run, that will not work.  So here is to a 2018 of doing things everyday that add to the conversation, push the work forward and keep me, my thinking, our district, our students’ experiences and public education relevant.

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