The power of being grateful

I'm thrilled to tell all of you, one concerned about how to be grateful at times of challenges. I strongly believe in the benefits of this state of mind in which we can admire the magic of the world, knowing how many splendid things provide our universe, in some cases, we are blindfolded to accomplish some goals without enjoying each step in the process.

When we face hardships through different circumstances, we consider it is impossible to overcome. But in the end, it is relevant to focus on new pathways. We will be proud of our power and especially, helping pupils to feel inner peace.

In our virtual learning, we decided to focus on providing our students with a nurturing environment to cope with stress and tackle the latest challenges. This situation provided a new perspective to encourage our students to reflect on each encounter as a special moment to enjoy. At the onset of each virtual learning, learners could cultivate gratitude in their daily journal in which they wrote down amazing events to be grateful for and they had time for sharing with the entire class.

Cultivating gratefulness was phenomenal for creating a friendly environment in each member of the group to acknowledge the importance of each message, respecting the point of view of members, and listening attentively to each other.

This learning experience provided us with multiple possibilities to be better with people who are next to us. They could acknowledge the importance of being grateful every day. It turned into a healthy habit that provides some essential elements to manage their emotions and well-being. Another benefit was when I started with this habit; I figured out how my students became more confident and cheerful with each encounter. 

One example of this learning experience for students:

They can write a message of gratitude for their parents, friends, teacher, or someone special in those days of the change. Then, we socialize their responses in class.

How did they feel about this message?

How did you feel about giving the message?

Being part of the IB environment in which approaches to learning and teaching are crucial in virtual meetings. Our students are aware of the importance to demonstrate agency in their process of learning. For that reason, I started involving my students by asking them some questions related to self-management skills (state of mind).

What are the benefits of being grateful?

How do you show gratitude?

Why does gratitude enhance the state of mind?

Why is gratefulness important for you?

As a teacher, we can think about our role in virtual or face to face learning.

How can we encourage our students to be grateful?

It is a great way to encourage our students to evoke positive emotions, despite challenges or changes. This strategy helped them to increase social connection among students, improved a wonderful sense of humor, and enhanced relationships with families.

These worksheets are designed in Spanish and English language because I would like that all teachers can apply this strategy in their lesson plans. You can find one slide to encourage students to indicate the sense of agency when choosing someone for writing a special message.

In the PDF Below, you can download the worksheets done for you! 

PDF message of gratitude (English)

PDF message of gratitude (Spanish)