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By a certain age many people stop making New Year’s Resolutions.

Maybe we stop because we get tired of giving up on them, or maybe we just stop doing it.

My resolution would always be to lose weight, and around March that resolution was long gone, and I would end up buying girl scout cookies by the pallet. My favorite was the Thanks-a-Lot, which they no longer sell.

Now I settle for the thin mints which I place in the refrigerator and eat cold. The Girl Scouts are a great organization, and I encourage you to support them.

So, what does any of this have to do with education?

My challenge to you is to make a resolution to learn something new this year. Just one thing.

We live in the information age, anything you want to learn is on the internet. You can Google or YouTube a video on how to fix your washer or replace your alternator. I have done both.

Consider challenging each member of your family to learn something new and teach it to each other.

The adage, “Each-one-Teach-one,” is still a great method of spreading knowledge.

When you are learning something that you must teach to others, you tend to want to learn it correctly. Once you begin to teach it, you learn even more about the subject.

We encourage our students at Bob Hope School to become peer tutors. We know that when they teach something it reinforces their learning.

In August I began teaching a class. The class is called Principles of Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security. I chose this class because I believe students need to know about the great opportunities in the legal field.

Our CEO, Dr. Bobby Lopez, tutors students himself and encourages administrators to tutor students or teach a class if we are up to the challenge.

I’m glad that I accepted that challenge this year. Teaching a class is a great way for administrators to remember how it was to be in the classroom and reconnect with students.

It was reinvigorating to be able to use all the new resources that are out there to help students learn. The last time I was a classroom teacher in 2006 we did not have as many resources.

It has also been a challenge to reconnect with students. I have found out that they don’t get all my references to some of the old TV shows like Law and Order or Colombo.

This new generation challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and reach them where they are.

We must take them from the known to the unknown, and as a teacher that is where we can make great connections.

Consider taking on this challenge and learn something new this year. GO EAGLES!!

Dr. Jesus B. Acosta is the Campus Director of Bob Hope High School in Port Arthur. He can be reached at jesus.acosta@bobhopeschool.org.