"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude," ~ Kari Barth
I have a new theme in my classroom this year (as mandated by my school but I have since assumed the responsibility enthusiastically), and that is gratitude. Gratitude is a small word with a pretty big umbrella for what it can be referring to.
During Grad school I read an article about Gratitude Journals. A Gratitude Journal is a diary of sorts, in which you record one authentic thing that makes you happy every day. The key word here is authentic. Research has shown that people who practice genuine gratitude consistently saw benefits both in their health and their personal lives. They had lower blood pressure, had more successful relationships, and experienced less negativity in their every day life.
So in 4th Grade we are keeping a class gratitude journal. Each day one student is nominated to say one authentic thing that they are grateful for and we write it on the board. We are compiling these to put together in a small book that will go home with each of the kiddos at the end of the year.
Along with our talk about gratitude today we discussed what happened on 9/11 and why people remember this day. One of my students said, "On this day many years ago a bunch of tourists came over from the Middle East to attack America." It was said with such earnest, let me just tell you how hard it was not to laugh that she mistook the word "tourists" for "terrorists."
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| They seem so harmless.. |
That said it made me realize how grateful I am to have these little humans in my life every day speaking with such wisdom, albeit sometimes mistaken. Especially as I go through a somewhat difficult time in my life, it's always nice to be reminded of the little things that we take for granted every day.
As the quote at the beginning of this post says, sometimes simply being happy and recognizing positivity in your life is showing gratitude. I challenge you to start keeping a gratitude journal, and see if you notice any positive benefits in your own life.
Here's some more research on Gratitude Journals if you're interested:
Good message for 4th Grades and the rest of us.
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