Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have a positive impact on our mental health and well-being. As teachers, we have the opportunity to create a supportive and uplifting learning environment by promoting gratitude in the classroom. Here are some practical ways to help your students practice gratitude on a daily basis:

When Saksham found out he would be in M’s French class again he was excited. So excited that the first thing he did was send her an email. And while he likes learning French from her, the subject of the email was about something else.”This year when I found out I was in M’s class again, I emailed her and said, ‘Hey are we going to do GiveThx again this year and when will it happen?’"

Rina (she/her) is a high school French teacher in Lexington, Massachusetts. She implements GiveThx in numerous ways in her classroom from teaching French pronouns to using it as a segue to conversations about controversies embedded in the holiday of Thanksgiving. Yet, she also uses the program for herself and students during difficult moments.

Middle school can feel particularly hard because of the jump in intensity both academically and socially. St. Mary’s started using GiveThx a few years ago as a way to help students orient themselves, build self-esteem, and create healthy relationships. Today, GiveThx helps students feel more included, valued, and resilient. It helps them see the good in others and make school a more welcoming place, something students, teachers, and families care deeply about.

During the holidays, as you spend time with family and friends near and far, here’s a way to feel a little more connected and maybe even surprised. Find a moment to ask someone about gratitude. Perhaps sitting quietly after a meal or connecting over the phone, try questions like: What’s a time you were really grateful for something in your life that I might not know about? What happened? How did it make you feel?

Looking to start a Gratitude practice at home? Here are 5 easy steps to help get your child (or yourself!) started with gratitude journaling.

What can thank you notes tell you about your child? Read about how GiveThx was able to provide touching insights for families during school conferences. “You can’t argue with the writing. You can’t argue with the fact of what’s written on there [GiveThx]. It’s one thing to say, oh yes your kid has a lots of friends. Yet, it’s quite another to see all the kind wonderful things that somebody says about your kid."

Gratitude allows us to be more present and aware while simultaneously refocusing our attention on the ‘good’. However, questions like "what are you thankful for" can also feel intimidating. Below are 6 prompts meant to challenge students to think more acutely about their appreciation of the world. Encourage students to respond to the questions through art, a gratitude journal or by setting a GiveThx task.

It is so easy to forget that small, everyday actions can actually create a big impact. For example, sharing your appreciation can improve motivation and life satisfaction. Noticing a small act of kindness and sharing your thanks can shift the entire climate of your class and eventually school. Here are three easy ideas based on the SEL skill of gratitude to strengthen student wellbeing.

Every week Ms.L would pick two students to receive a “love bomb.” On that day, those students would receive a Thx Note from each person in the class. The Thx Notes had a big effect on Amber’s life. They strengthened her friendships, improved her academics, and boosted her self-confidence. But the Thx Notes also had a big effect on Amber’s teacher, Ms L. Read on to hear what Ms. L had to say.

Think of the last time you received a thank you note. It felt good, right? The science of gratitude is a remarkable thing. Receiving thanks feels good. Thanking someone else can make you feel even better.

Many families on Thanksgiving have a tradition where they share something they’re grateful for (surprise, surprise: we love that tradition!). Here’s one way to expand upon that tradition or try a new one if you don’t already.

It may feel weird to thank someone for a disagreement. And it’s okay to share that the disagreement didn’t feel good in the moment. But, upon reflection, you learned something about yourself. You can always thank them for that.

Pick up a pencil and write down what that person did. Did they take an action? Did they share some words? Reflect on how that person’s actions made you feel. Did you feel seen? Appreciated?

Social-emotional skills—like listening, understanding, empathizing and reflecting— are the building blocks for practicing gratitude. By these strengthening skills, we can strengthen the power of gratitude in our lives.

One of the most powerful aspects of GiveThx is that it just doesn’t just deepen students’ relationships with one another. It also strengthens their relationships with their teachers, allowing both students and teachers to write appreciations that they might not have otherwise shared. 

This year, schools radically shifted to new teaching and learning models. So did GiveThx. We asked ourselves: how do we adapt to meet the urgency of the moment? Read to learn more about what we did, what we learned, and how we made an impact.

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