Showing Gratitude

In An antidote from Seth Godin's Blog by Seth Godin talks about gratitude.

“So much of what ails us gets a bit better when we say ‘thank you.’”

When things get tough, it is easy to forget all the things we should be thankful for.

When I had a roof leak, I needed to be thankful that I wasn’t homeless and that I had a roof over my head that could leak.

When I had car trouble, I needed to be thankful that I had a car.

When my family and I are arguing, I need to be thankful that I’m not alone in the world.

It is too easy to focus on the troubles in our lives instead of the blessings.

Every day in my journal, I write down one thing that I’m grateful for. I think this would be good for students to do also. Have them start with a small notebook and every day, write down one thing that they are thankful for. They can write more than one if they want but they need to write at least one. It will help them see that the world doesn’t revolve just around them. It makes students more aware of the world around them.

It will be amazing to see how their attitudes change over time.

How do you encourage students to be thankful? Please share.

Thankfulness

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Thinking Through Thankfulness, Rushton features A.J. Jacobs wanted to thank everyone involved in making his cup of coffee.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“Try talking to a friend about how many people you can identify who are part of making something you love.

Then try thanking at least some of those people. Did you learn something different from what the guy in the video learned?”

Every morning I write down one thing that I’m thankful for from the day before. I try to make my gratitude intentional and thoughtful. I never thought about making a thankful trail. I think this would be fun to do in a classroom where the class picks one thing to be thankful for. Then the class would brainstorm all the people who had a hand in creating this one thing. Then every day throughout the school year, students could write a thank you note to one of the people on the list.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

 

 

World Gratitude Day

September 21st is World Gratitude Day.

I don’t think we teach students about gratitude enough.

People and media focus so much on the negative that it becomes a habit.

We feel resentful about what we don’t have enough of such as time, money, friends, games, or anything else we want.

Yet, we forget to focus on what we do have.

I have a bullet journal that I intentionally think about things that I’m thankful for. Every day I think about something from the day before that I’m thankful for and write it down.

Maybe doing this on a daily basis would be too much for a class but it would be good to have my students list the things they are thankful for at least once a month.

Maybe have a class discussion and ask for volunteers to share something that they are thankful for. Each day I could pick 3 -5 students. At first, it might be slow to start but as this becomes a habit, it will become easier. Students will start looking at things from a different perspective so they will have something to share the next day.

Do you do something like this in your class? If so, please share. 

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Gratitude

In An Experiment in Gratitude from Engage Their Minds, the author shares,

“In “An Experiment in Gratitude,” the host shares the results of a study devised to determine how much gratitude affects happiness.”

This is why I try to pay attention to at least one thing that I’m grateful for each day.

I feel like if I can at least find one thing, I know there are many others. Instead of focusing on the negative stuff, I want to find the good things in my life. I

It is always so easy to focus on the things we regret or the things we wish we had. It is easier to have a pity party than to see the good things in our life.

Sometimes we might have to dig deep to find the things we are grateful for but once we start this habit, it gets easier over time. The more I do this, the easier it is to find more than one thing. Before long, I start finding more things that I’m grateful for than things that I’m not. I started being thankful for the little things and not just the big things. I started realizing it is the little things that I take for granted but if they weren’t in my life, the big things wouldn’t happen. Suddenly I realized that I need to be thankful for all the little things that add up to the big things.

I also realize that the study is right. The more I’m grateful for, the happier I feel. The happier I feel, the more confident I feel that my life is going in the right direction. I’m able to make better decisions. I’m able to enjoy my daily life more and more. I think I’m a much happier person than I was and that other people see me this way too.

I want my students to feel this way. Many students are depressed, overwhelmed, and anxious. Maybe by focusing on gratitude, I can change their outlook on their own lives. Once they can start feeling better about their life, they can start acting more confident and making better decisions.

It would be good to have students start a gratitude journal. It is okay to be thankful for the same thing every day but if they put the same thing down, they need to add one thing new. I would explain that this will get easier as we continue to do this. After 3 months, I would have them reflect on whether it is getting easier. Then I would do the same after 6 months. It will be interesting to see how they respond. Then I will ask them if they think their life is better now or 6 months ago. I think they will even be surprised by their answers.

What are you grateful for? Do you think about this on a daily basis? Give it a try.

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

Gratitude

In If every day were Thanksgiving from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin shares,

“Gratitude creates a positive cycle of more gratitude.”

I have a bullet journal and I write down one thing that I’m grateful for every day. I know I have more than one thing to be thankful for but by writing down at least one thing each day, it helps me be mindful of how blessed I am.

It is easy to whine and complain about things that you are unhappy about. Looking at the bad things seem to come easy. Even news media finds that negative news gets more attention than positive news.

I have found out that when I think negatively, I feel negative and I tend to act negatively.

If I have a positive outlook, I feel positive, and I act more positively.

One way to have a positive outlook is by having gratitude. I am thankful for what I have, what I’ve tried to do, and what I’ve accomplished. I’m also thankful for what others have given me or done for me. Many people have been there to help me accomplish the things I’ve done and where I am today.

I want my students to know how to be grateful for the little things. I want them to see how the little things add up and can affect the big things in their lives. I want them to learn how to be grateful and be more positive in their lives.

I can have my students keep a notebook and every day they can write down one thing they are grateful for.

I can have my students write about one of the things on their list and explain why they are grateful for it.

I can have my students share this writing with a small group or whole class.

How do you teach your students to have gratitude? Please share.

Photo by Freshh Connection on Unsplash

Thoughts of Gratitude

In Thanksgiving Challenge: The Gratitude Sprint from Lisa Ricard Claro – Author, Lisa Ricard Claro challenges us with this:

“The Thanksgiving challenge is a sprint of 30 seconds. List as many things as you can for which you are grateful and which are NOT connected in any way to the “core” list, the aforementioned God, family, friends, etc.”

I realize how easy it is to be grateful for things like food and water and shelter but harder to list the specifics. I don’t’ know that I sometimes feel nitpicky but why not? Why shouldn’t I be grateful for the little things too?  And I shouldn’t just be grateful for these things during Thanksgiving but for all the time.

So, here is my list:

·      After hearing that my friends are still without power for two months so far in Puerto Rico, I’m grateful for my electricity that I take for granted every day.

·      I’m thankful for the gas heat that we have because it heats up our house quickly.

·      I’m thankful for the hooded sweatshirt that I wear constantly.

·      I’m thankful for the sunroom that I sit in a lot to knit and spin yarn.

·      I’m thankful for the library where I can borrow books and even download books onto my iPad.

·      I’m thankful for the Yeti type cup that I drink from because my drinks are always cold.

·      I’m thankful for our Casita camper that we use now for camping because it is nice to sleep in a bed and have a bathroom to use.

·      I’m thankful for my knitting group that meets every week because I enjoy the laughter and the friendships.

·      I’m thankful for the dollar store glasses that I use to read with.

·      I’m thankful for the K&W cafeteria that has specials twice a week. We like to meet up with our daughter and son in law to have lunch with them there.

There are lots of things I can think of but I only gave myself 30 seconds.

I think this would be a fun activity to do with students on a regular basis. The world tends to focus on the negative too much every day and this would help students think more positively. I would have each student make a list and tell them that spelling doesn’t count (this is a big deal for many of them). Then have them share a couple of things with a partner and then with the whole class.

What can you come up with in 30 seconds? Please share.

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