Ella Rossiter, Caroline Pierre, and Liliana Dolinsky
A new year means a fresh start and many of us desire to better ourselves in response to this change. New year resolutions are personal to you. Despite whether you are able to achieve them or not, it is always good to set goals for yourself.
Here at Nyack High School, we interviewed some teachers to see what their new year resolutions are for 2024. Mrs. Lijoi, AP Biology and PLTW teacher, stated she wants to work on reducing stress. She mentioned she could do this by meditating and exercising. This has been an ongoing resolution for Mrs. Lijoi, demonstrating the great ability to revisit goals. Meditation is a great way to reduce stress, as it is a calming act that can help your body relax.
Additionally, Social Studies teacher, Mr. Burruano, wishes to be more present. He wants to achieve this by reducing screen time on his devices. This is a common goal amongst our community. Phones can be addicting, pulling us away from our surroundings.. By limiting screen time, we can appreciate our environment and focus on what is in front of us.
Mrs. Kleinman, who teaches AP Environmental Science and Science Research, has the continuous goal to better the environment. Helping the Earth doesn’t have to include extreme changes. Mrs. Kleinman completes her goal by eliminating plastic use in her house and switching her makeup products to ones more sustainable.
Similar to Mrs. Kleinman, Mr. Mattson, Earth Science teacher, wishes to go on more hikes in the Catskill mountains with his family. He loves and appreciates nature.
Your goals don’t have to be difficult or make a huge difference in your life. History and Criminal Justice teacher, Mr. Seifert, wants to go out more in his free time and exercise. This is a great example of a goal that is obtainable and can be achieved with proper perseverance and determination.
Mrs. Salomon, who teaches AP African American Studies and English, has set many goals in the past and is very driven. She said, “My New Year's resolution for 2024 is to simply show up, and that means to be present where I need to go.” Mrs. Salomon has had major success in completing her resolutions year round. Here are some of Mrs. Salomon’s favorite tips and tricks to fulfill New Year's resolutions: make a vision board, write your goal down, set reminders of your goal on a planner, write journal reflections on a daily basis to track goals.
Overall, New Year's resolutions can make us better humans. Resolutions should be stress free and achievable. Making New Year resolutions not only help us accomplish our goals, but also allow us to develop skills in commitment and determination.