I often talk about the \u201cheart work\u201d of education. That part of the job where we\u2019re not just creating an atmosphere of learning\u2014we\u2019re <\/span>building relationships with our students<\/span><\/a> that will last long after they leave the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n To me, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about really. Relationships trump content because I want each of my students to know that they are 100% loved and cared for. And once I have those strong relationships in place\u2014once I have their hearts\u2014teaching the content becomes a whole lot easier!<\/span><\/p>\n When I talk about these important individual relationships, I\u2019m also talking about the \u201cculture\u201d of the classroom as a whole. I\u2019ve worked hard in all of my classrooms to promote kindness, positivity, optimism and create environments with a focus on happiness and well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n After all, we don\u2019t just want our students to be good at reading or math or science. We want them to be good at life! <\/span><\/p>\n Based on my classroom experiences, I\u2019ve discovered that gratitude is an incredibly important component of a successful classroom. And it starts with me, the teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n (Gratitude is also something I\u2019ve <\/span>embraced in my personal life<\/span><\/a> and in <\/span>my work as a happiness coach<\/span><\/a>, too!)<\/span><\/p>\n Gratitude has empowered me to teach more effectively, to see and appreciate my students as individuals, to grow in my profession, and to truly accept that life is a gift.<\/span><\/p>\n See, by incorporating gratitude in the classroom, I\u2019m able to model one of life\u2019s most valuable lessons: Having a positive attitude\u2014even (and especially) in the face of challenges\u2014offers you the best chance for success!<\/span><\/p>\n People who consciously count their blessings can become happier and less depressed. <\/span><\/p>\n According to <\/span>research published by Harvard<\/span><\/a>, the simple act of writing down things you\u2019re thankful for significantly increases your optimism\u2014and those optimism levels hold for six months!<\/span><\/p>\n In his book <\/span>The Happiness Advantage<\/span><\/i><\/a>, researcher Shawn Achor explains how this increase in optimism can lead to results that any teacher or student would love to see happen in the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPositive emotions flood our brains with dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that not only make us feel good but dial up the learning centers of our brains to higher levels,\u201d Achor writes. \u201cThey help us organize new information, keep that information in the brain longer, and retrieve it faster later on. And they enable us to make and sustain more neural connections, which allows us to think more quickly and creatively, become more skilled at complex analysis and problem solving, and see and invent new ways of doing things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So, now that you\u2019ve heard all the good that can come from practicing gratitude, maybe it\u2019s time to start implementing it in the classroom. <\/span><\/p>\n You can begin by modeling your own gratitude list each day. Take just a few moments at the beginning of class to share a list of 3-5 things you are thankful for. (If you\u2019re a principal, add your gratitude list to the morning announcements!)<\/span><\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t have to be a major undertaking. Your list might look something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n This shows your students how easy it is for <\/span>them<\/span><\/i> to start practicing gratitude. And then the real fun can begin: Gratitude Journals!<\/span><\/p>\n You can have your students bring in notebooks and personalize them with favorite pictures, images, and sayings. Or for the more tech-savvy teachers among us, there are lots of <\/span>options for creating digital gratitude journals<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Have students begin and\/or end their day by writing down three things they are thankful for. Then take a minute or two each morning to let students go around the room and share one of their gratitudes.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll be amazed at how important and helpful it can be for your kids to not only express their own gratitudes, but also hear from their classmates. By the end of the year, your students will have practiced and been exposed to THOUSANDS of gratitudes. (And hopefully, this becomes a practice they take with them after they leave the classroom!)<\/span><\/p>\n Gratitude is such a powerful practice, one that has the power to transform the way a person sees the world\u2014and one that can produce positive real world results inside and outside the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\nGratitude as a Tool<\/h3>\n
What the Research Says About Gratitude<\/h3>\n
Keeping Gratitude Journals in the Classroom<\/h3>\n
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