Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude @Teachthought Day 9

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude at home and at school takes thought and mindfulness. It is important  and I firmly believe in educating the whole student, not just academically, but behaviorally, as well. I would be doing them a disservice if I didn't practice good manners, respect, and kindness with them every chance I have. There is ALWAYS time in my classroom to teach the whole child! It's a priority.

One way that I am doing that this month is through a student gratitude journal page for November. Our wonderful school counselors started this idea last November and held gratitude seminars with staff and in each grade level--it really hit a note with our students and staff. I wanted to keep that spirit alive by giving students the time to write down 3 things/people they are grateful for each day we are in school in November. (I am emphasizing the thought that it would be great to write 3 different topics each day but it's totally up to them.) I have made a gratitude journal page for my students to view, as well.

I only heard minor grumbles from a few students (that doesn't scare me--I not only teach middle school, I'm a Mom, too!) and they will be able to look back at their month and decide that they have a lot to be grateful for. 
#reflectiveteacher


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 9, 2014 at 12:28 PM

    I love the idea of having students commit their gratitude to paper! It serves as both a way to make them really think AND to record of their gratitude for later on. Thanks for sharing this idea!

    ReplyDelete

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