New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! It's 2011 now. We are in the second decade of the twenty first century.

In the U.S. and in many other countries, people decide to new things with the new year. Often they decide to do things that will improve their life: exercise, lose weight, learn new skills, get a better job, etc. Sometimes they decide to do big things: run a marathon, build a hospital, write a book.

We call these decisions New Year's resolutions.

The verb "resolve" means many things. It means to make things clear, to solve a problem, to decide to do something.

The noun "resolution" also means many things. Most often, it means the solution to a conflict. As we all know, conflicts can be big problems.

In this case, resolution means saying your intention out loud, in a formal way. It is a kind of promise you make in front of everybody.

When you make a resolution, you are making a promise to yourself and your community to do something to make things better. It is a kind of contract, an agreement between you and everyone else in the world we share.

What sorts of problems do you and your community have?

Do you sometimes feel frustrated when you try to communicate in stores, on the job, or with your neighbors? Does U.S. culture confuse you? Do you want to be a citizen, vote, and help decide what happens in your community? Do you want to be able to talk to your children's teachers and help your children with school? Do you want a better job? Do you want to be able to talk with your boss about your paycheck, job situation or schedule? Do you want to get a new and better job? Do you want to learn more about computers, video, or digital cameras? Do you want to open your own business? Do you have the English and the skills you need to do that?

How about your community? Do you see problems you want to solve? Do you want to help others succeed in school, business, or family life? Do you want to create something to help others? Do you have an idea that make life better for people here in San Mateo, in California, the U.S., in your home country, or the world?

The San Mateo Adult School can help you solve some of these problems. Classes in ESL, citizenship, job search & resume writing, computer and job skills, and many other classes are available.

The new semester begins January 24th. Visit the school website at http://www.smace.org/

or come in to the Adult School (the big red building) to learn more about which classes can help you.

Resolve to make 2011 the best year ever for you, your family, and your community - then take the steps to make that happen!