The change of the year is a good time to reflect (think back on) the previous year and to contemplate (think about) the coming year. For many, the transition from one year to the next signifies (means) an opportunity to "start over". Some people choose to break bad habits like too much drinking or smoking. Others choose to start new habits like eating healthier or exercising more. Whatever people decide to do, these resolutions are a way for everyone to become the best version of themselves!

Over the winter break, we asked students to think about what they would like to do in 2019. They asked themselves questions such as:

· What are my dreams for the new year?
· What would I like to accomplish to this year?
· What kind of person would I like to be?
Once students decided on a resolution, we asked them to write it down. Here are some examples of their resolutions:

Did you notice the different writing?

To make things a little more interesting, students wrote their resolutions in cursive. Cursive is a form of writing that joins letters together. Similar to calligraphy, it is a simpler form of writing that improves writing speed. Unfortunately, with the invention of the ball point pen in the late 1800's and then later the phone, the computer and the keyboard, cursive writing was no longer necessary. The 21st century has seen a sharp decline in the use of course and many teachers no longer teach cursive in their classes. Despite this, recent research shows that cursive has some cognitive benefits. That is, handwriting is good for the brain! Studies show that students who use handwritten notes (versus computers) are able to process information more effectively and can better understand concepts and key facts (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014). Another study showed that student who wrote down words were able to remember and recall (remember and use) those words better than students who used computers or tablets (Mangen et al., 2015).

So, what are you going to do in 2019?