Learning Focus
The Word of the Year!
I didn’t think I’d begin this week’s newsletter by comparing dictionaries, but here we are. Every year, to keep themselves relevant in an age where dictionaries are becoming more and more obsolete the big three English language dictionaries decide to harvest clicks online by posting their ‘word of the year’.
The crew at Collins Dictionary recently named brat as their 2024 word of the year winner. I’ll admit I was out of the loop on this one. Apparently, English singer-songwriter Charli XCX redefined the term to mean someone confident, independent, and hedonistic. So, call someone a brat in 2024, and you’re giving them… a compliment? I’m still not sure about this one.
And what about my favourite dictionary, the Oxford? Their lexicographers are holding an online vote featuring words like brainrot, slop, and dynamic pricing. Not exactly words that inspire poetry.
This is why I’m throwing my hat in the ring for Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year. If they’re hunting for inspiration, they should look no further than this newsletter. Because my 2024 Word of the Year isn’t brat or slop. It’s a different four-letter word (not one of those ones - come on now, adults).
My 2024 word of the year is grit.
Grit - the determination and courage to continue doing something even though it is very difficult.
And no, this isn’t just because I’ve been binge-watching documentaries about Ernest Shackleton’s doomed Endurance voyage. (Though, seriously, what a gripping story. Poor dogs!)
Grit is the quality I’ve seen shining through our school community this year. From students staying positive and learning from their mistakes, to teachers trying something different to spark those “aha!” moments, and parents juggling six bowling balls and a chainsaw to support their kids in any way they can.
Grit doesn’t look flashy or trendy like Collins’ or Oxford’s words. But it’s the foundation of real progress and success.
Some days, it may be easier to phone it in - to let challenges pile up and wait for someone else to solve them. But grit is about choosing the harder path - the one that asks for effort and resilience.
It doesn’t look glamorous. It’s not about perfection; it’s about persistence.
As we head into the final stretch of the year, let’s all remember the power of grit. It’s the ingredient that turns effort into achievement, challenges into opportunities, and setbacks into stepping stones. Whether it’s a tricky math problem, a looming deadline, or a difficult conversation, grit reminds us that we are stronger than we think and more capable than we often realise.
So, let’s keep leaning into grit at NLPS. Let’s celebrate it, nurture it, and teach it by example. Because when we embrace grit, we set the stage not just for success today, but for resilience and growth in all the days to come.
(Apologies if I’ve gone full football coach giving a desperate, stirring half-time speech, but grit is so important!)
Here’s to a gritty end of 2024.
Mat Williamson
Assistant Principal
An AI generated poem using Oxford Dictionary’s 2024 Word of the Year Shortlist.
A Fractured World
A mind consumed by brainrot, dull and slow,
A heart made demure, a muted glow.
A world of dynamic pricing, unfair and cold,
Lost in the lore of stories, old and bold.
A genre of love, romantasy's sweet embrace,
A world of slop, a vulgar, shameful space.
A fractured reality, a shattered dream,
A broken spirit, a dystopian scene.
AI Art generated by inputting this terrible, totally meaningless poem into an AI Artwork Generator.