Sometimes when I have a hard day, I go sit up at the temple. In my religion the temple is a house of God where members make sacred covenants, ponder and pray, and work to come closer to God. Due to pandemic restrictions, the nearby temple is only open to specific, scheduled, small groups, but during operating hours, the grounds are open to anyone.
As I sat on the grounds, hidden in a bit of an alcove, with my journal on my lap, I had the thought that I should start a gratitude list. I began with recent occurrences wholey unrelated to school and I kept at that vein for a few minutes, pushing off the thought to list my students.
Finally, with the page half filled, I wrote that I was grateful for my students.
"Really." said a dry voice in my head. "You can do better than that."
So I started again. This time, I listed each student's name and one unique thing about that student for which I am grateful. When I was done, I had 27 students and 27 reasons to be grateful. I had a lighter heart and a new way to show them I cared.
I decided to put these reasons in my classroom where my students could see them on an extra whiteboard I have (we're doing in person learning). But it turns out my paper fell out of my journal and I couldn't find it. So, while they worked on their math test, I tried to recreate the list from memory. It's not perfect, but it's a good start. And tomorrow, I bet I can add even more.
As I was reading your slice, a dry voice inside my head was telling me that perhaps this is exactly what I need to do for my staff (I am a school administrator). While I try to be intentional at telling and showing my staff that I care (about them) behaviors tell me that they aren't buying it. So this evening, I will begin my list in hopes that I too will have a lighter heart and a new way to show my staff that I care.
ReplyDelete<3 <3 <3 This is an amazing idea! I love that you did it in a moment of frustration, and that you did it even though you kind of didn't want to. Those persistent whispers from God are often the most powerful! <3
ReplyDeleteLast year around Thanksgiving I gave each student a little note with their name and a few positive words that I thought made them unique, and they loved them. Many taped them to their folders or Chromebooks and left them there all year! I'm sure your students will love seeing what you wrote about them!
I loved two things specifically about this - that you have a temple where you can go to really "look inside," and that you chose to push yourself to see the good and to be grateful for it at a time when it was proving difficult to do so. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I had a professor who recommended that we write one line or sentence a day per student. I’ve never been able to keep that up for long, probably because most days I can’t write one line for each of my students. But now that I’m teaching online I think that would be a good way for me to notice who I may need to focus during the week.
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