By: Shanta Smith
As we embark upon this holiday season in search of the perfect gift, it is oftentimes difficult to decide what gift we will give. We work hard to select a gift that makes an indelible mark upon the recipient. Seeing the appreciation on the faces of those that we have bestowed gifts upon is rewarding and endearing. Everyone loves a great gift. One of the greatest gifts that we can give to each other during this time is gratitude. If you ask any “pandemic” educational leader what they value deeply, they will most likely say it is those moments when expressions of gratitude are shared with them. Gratitude is a commodity that we should all treasure.
When we open an email or hear a kind word being shared, those moments are etched upon our hearts and it reminds us daily of the criticality of the work that we do to support our dynamic scholars, brilliant teachers and staff members, and collaborative families. Working through this new landscape has been challenging and we continue to put our best foot forward as educators. We educate, motivate, and encourage our students to develop their academic, personal, and interpersonal capacities daily while balancing our lives and roles as parents, guardians, siblings, caretakers and friends. We work hard each day to do the best that we can to achieve balance. It is not easy. Expressions of gratitude are precious to us.
This month at Hamilton Avenue School, our virtual community meeting’s focus was gratitude. We shared a quote by Alissa Marquess, the author of the book, Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection not Perfection, who describes gratitude in the following manner: “Gratitude, like intelligence, is not fixed. There is always room for growth” (Marquess, 2018). We reviewed ways that we can show gratitude towards ourselves and others to learn about how we can grow as givers. We challenged each other to be “gratitude givers.” Imagine a world where individuals developed the gifting of gratitude as a habitual part of their lives. During this holiday season, I encourage you to express your gratitude in one or more ways recursively. Here are five strategies that you can use to make gratitude a habit in your life:
Intentionally say something kind to someone in your life
Do something nice for someone
Thank someone for doing something for you
Express gratefulness for the things you have been given
Write a positive social media post
If you implement these five strategies each day, you will give the gift of gratitude freely. I am sure that there are many additional gratitude strategies that you can think of to develop a habit of gratitude. Please share them with others and practice them. Join the Hamilton Avenue School community as we endeavor to be daily “gratitude givers.” Show gratitude each day. I look forward to observing and hearing about the gifts of gratitude being shared throughout our town and communities.
References
Marquess, A. (2018). Bounce Back Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not
Perfection, Tarcher Perigee.
