Discovering How to Create a Season of Gratitude

 

During this season, many will think of the things that have changed, but I am thinking of the things that have remained the same.  As we begin to move into the winter months, our students will leave the virtual walls and spend a few uninterrupted weeks with their families, as always.  During a traditional school year, teachers would prepare for the breaks with activities aimed and making students aware of reasons for the season.

As an educational community we have experienced loss in so many ways and these losses have created opportunities for conversations.  However, these conversations were not supported with the face to face interventions that educators know all so well.  During this season, we must push gratitude instead of despair.  We cannot acknowledge the many losses without turning to the things that make us grateful as well. Instead we should focus on the ideas that are cause for thanks.  Some may feel it is difficult to focus on thanks when we are looking at all of the challenges both inside and outside the virtual walls of our classroom but similar to the previous post, sometimes you have to focus on the positive.  The positives in this case are the things that we can be thankful for and the things that are cause for gratitude. 

Gratitude isn’t forced and shouldn’t be, it should be modeled.  By beginning our day with thankfulness, our students will begin to do the same.  In this season, we have to do something different.  That something different should be rooted in the idea of gratefulness and gratitude.  Seasons change, but some things remain the same.  There is always a reason to be thankful and as responsible educators we can help our students find their thankfulness in this season.  It may seem like a lofty goal, but gratitude never goes out of style. 

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