gratitude – Empower. Collaborate. Connect.

This post was written to honor and celebrate the launch of the book #EvolvingWithGratitude by Lainie Rowell. I am one of the proud contributors of this important and meaningful read. My hope is that #EvolvingWithGratitude will be a source of inspiration for every person who serves in an educational organization. It holds a rich source of ideas, resources, and information about how to use gratitude to create safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for ALL learners.

Gratitude is a feeling of deep appreciation that is woven into the fabric of our lives. Feelings of gratitude are discovered in small moments that manifest in the stories we live in over the course of time. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize and feel gratitude in those moments because we are so caught up in the experience itself. Have you ever found it difficult to notice the impact simple moments have on your heart and mind when you are living in them?

Gratitude is feeling thankful for simple actions, possessing an urge to give recognition to those who have touched your life. It’s showing how deeply appreciative you are and not expecting anything in return. It’s harnessing a state of reflection and thinking of all of the moments that may have passed you by, ultimately impacting the trajectory of your life.

Gratitude lives in all the moments. It’s easier to show it during moments of happiness and joy. It’s the moments that push on your heart, rent space in your head, and put stress on your emotional deposit box that can be hard to unpack. It’s the unfavorable and disappointing experiences you may have encountered with various people or circumstances over the course of your life that can feel heavy resting on your shoulders. These are the feelings that can become trapped in your conscience and shift your spirit. So I ask, how do you find gratitude in those hard moments? While you are searching, you may have to dig a bit deeper to find gratitude through the hurt, the disappointment, and the adverse actions you may have experienced and could not control in those uncomfortable spaces.

Maybe you can find gratitude in the lessons you have learned because they have made you stronger. Maybe you can find gratitude by calling these interactions learning moments. Maybe those unfavorable moments have encouraged you to think about how to approach people or situations differently in the future. Maybe the gratitude is understanding that those moments have shaped you into the person you are and are continuously striving to be. In the book #EvolvingWithGratitude by Lainie Rowell, she shares, “We often don’t appreciate what we have until we imagine how different life could have been.” Can you find comfort in knowing those difficult moments have transported you to the very place you are living in now? Those difficult moments will continue to guide you as you find your way to the new destinations that await.

Recently, a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while reached out to share that they were having some challenges in their life. I responded to her sentiments with these words: “Life can be hard, but the barriers put before us make you stronger. It’s easy to find gratitude in moments of joy, but harder to find it in the disappointing or hard times. Keep holding your head high; there are bright spots in the hard moments that can only be realized in the future.”

Gratitude is taking the time to tell the people from the past and present that you are truly grateful for them more often. It could be people who were placed in your life for minutes, hours, days, months, or years. Perhaps you have held on to some of those people, while you have let others go. Whatever the case may be, those people were placed in your life for a reason. Maybe they served as signposts, guides, mentors on your journey. They have helped pave the way to your growth and development for the person you are and want to be; THEY are the stories that are woven into the fabric of your lives.

Showing Up

My educational journey has led me to teaching middle school learners in the midst of a global pandemic…I know I’m better for it; I’m better for it because my students, colleagues, and PLN have shown me the way. They have taught me to be more patient. They have taught me to be more flexible. They have taught me to embrace the failures and frustrations. Together, we have questioned the status quo and the implementation of instructional practices. Together we have learned new digital platforms and tools to support student learning. We have lifted each other up when we are feeling down or inadequate. We have celebrated successes big and small. We have shared our failures so we can learn from them. This time, last year we could never have imagined being in the position we are in now, but we are HERE. We are showing up and working together to love, support, and serve our learners in every way possible.

An Inspiring Message

A few weeks ago, speaker, educator, and author Thomas C. Murray posted a YouTube video with the caption, “To our first responders, health care workers, educators, and those that are helping by pouring their lives into others each day in the midst of this pandemic… THANK YOU. If you watch one thing today, make it this.”

If you haven’t seen this, watch it, please! I played this video multiple times and every single time I view it, I cry a little harder. Before the holiday break and I wanted to come up with a simple, meaningful activity to share with my learners that would inspire us to reflect on the year 2020.

Here is the activity:

Watch the video “Good Job” Covered by One Voice Children’s Choir– Give a brief introduction to the video but consider not frontloading too much information as students should be able to respond and share authentically.
After discussing sentiments, thoughts, and feelings about the video, I shared a letter I wrote to my students about 2020 and the challenging times we are facing. It came straight from my core. So much so that when I read the letter to each class, I shed many tears.

Dear Students,

     2020 has been one of the most challenging years in the history of education and the world! I know that virtual learning hasn’t always been easy. You do not get to socialize with your friends in the same ways. You do not get to interact with teachers in the same ways. You do not always get to learn in the most conducive ways. I see you. I hear you. I feel for you. I want to express my gratitude for showing up, trying your best, and being flexible during challenging times. I have been learning alongside you, and it hasn’t always been easy. One thing I do know is that we are resilient. We are grateful. We are strong. We are a team. Just know that YOU will have so much to share with the world because you are living the unimaginable! I can promise you this…we will get through this. Together.

                                                              With love and gratitude,
                                                              Mrs. Kaufman

3. Have the students write a letter of gratitude and appreciation to an educator who has positively impacted their lives during the global pandemic.

Click HERE for the Google Slides template to the activity.

Student Letters

We’re Doing a Good Job

I believe that sharing my vulnerability first, opened the hearts of my students. I was incredibly touched by their meaningful sentiments. The tears kept coming as I read each one. I’ll admit…2020 has invited a range of emotions into my heart and headspace. It’s certainly been a wild ride.

Believe me…

There are times when the work gets hard.

There are times when the work gets stressful.

There are times when I question whether or not my instruction is adequate enough to meet all of the learners’ needs in physical and virtual spaces simultaneously.

But, we are HERE, we are showing up, we are rolling up our sleeves, and believing in ourselves, our colleagues, and students. … and after reading these letters, I feel better knowing that we’re doing a good job…

Empower. Collaborate. Connect.

Tag: gratitude

Gratitude Lives in All the Moments

We’re Doing a Good Job…