Gratitude

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“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.  Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.  Thankfulness may consist merely of words.  Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

The holiday season has many themes. In this year of loss and uncertainty, perhaps the most important is gratitude. Students in our Upper Elementary program have been learning that gratitude is not just saying “thank you” and having good manners, but it is an intentional act. 

One of our teachers, Ms. Krista, taught students ways to show gratitude during one of her Growth Mindset lessons. The students were paired up to design skits to show the acts of gratitude. Each pair was given an act of gratitude and they prepared a skit to perform for the rest of the class. The rest of the class had the opportunity to guess what act of gratitude they were portraying in their skit. 

The acts of gratitude were the following: 

  • being an active listener, giving out compliments 
  • making eye contact, giving detailed examples of appreciation
  • being thoughtful of others, how to give a virtual hug (COVID style)
  • being gracious when challenged, offering congratulations (even when you are not the winner) 
  • volunteering to help others with difficult tasks
  • showing patience. 

All of these acts show gratitude for the community in which we live. 

How will you and your family show your gratitude this season?