It’s Friday and I just sent out a tweet on thinking of things I am grateful for. As I hit the button I realized I wanted to talk more about this or just put it out there in the hopes that another teacher will see this and that it might put a smile on their face or remind them we’re all in this together.
It’s the end of the second week back to school and I am exhausted. There have been so many policies and procedures to learn and it has been really difficult to tell kids to stay 2 metres apart at all times though I know it’s what’s best for them.
Though it may be easy to become overwhelmed by this I want to remind myself that I need to breath, and to remember a fundamental rule I was told growing up. When you are having a bad day, do something nice for someone else. And though we’re not together I think helping shift to a more positive mindset is something nice I can do today. To that end I am considering what I am grateful for in the hopes that you will too.
- I am so grateful for the conversations students in Middle School want to have, my lunches have been filled listening to 12 year olds ask each other about religion, politics and social justice. They want to know about each other and they are so concerned for each other. This is so motivating for me and I feel so lucky to be a part of their dialogue.
- I am so grateful for my teaching team, I can easily say my coworkers have been keeping me sane and putting a smile on my face.
- I am grateful for my network of professionals around me who through all this have been putting forward
insightful and motivating ideas to bring to their classroom. - I am grateful for my family and how they have been a great shoulder for me.
- I am grateful for my pets, I just got a new kitten and this little ball of fur has been putting a smile on my face on a regular basis
I really hope that you have some time to reflect this weekend and to consider things to be grateful for. I hope that you also share some things you’re grateful for as well, I want to hear about it.
Please take some time to breathe and I look forward to ‘seeing’ you all soon!
Gratitude is a strategy for navigating complexity and for one’s own wellbeing. This is a great reminder Robin! I used this as a teaching tool in the classroom, where – on the top of each quiz or test – I would ask students to list three things that they were grateful. This reduces the cortisol in the body almost immediately. That’s just great Science!
“See” you soon,
Garth.
Thank you for this post Robin. One thing I have noticed in the last 7 months is that the whole concept of time seems warped… I often feel that ‘time is flying by…’ but somehow that is not the case these days, now that so much has been stripped away from our daily schedules. Now, I wonder if it’s more that I was ‘flying by’ / through many of my days. I am grateful to be able to dwell a little longer in the moment with my students when they need help, or with my children when they just want to show me the sumo wrestler costume they just made… I am grateful to have a fine point put on what really is important, in these pandemic times that is what we are left with at the end of the day. Happy Thanksgiving!