•  the Weekly | 11.2

     

  • For Your Hands: Encourage Gratitude in Students

    Helping students develop a practice of identifying things for which they are thankful can have very real benefits.

    1. Gratitude Journal: Have each student create a gratitude journal. Once a week, have students write three things they’re grateful for and why. You might give them the stem, "Thanks for ____" and encourage them to list 3-5 things each week.

    2. Gratitude Collage or Bulletin Board: Students cut out pictures of things they’re grateful for and then use the pictures to create their own collage or to decorate a classroom gratitude bulletin board. This could also be done with colorful sticky notes on a door or window or wall.

    3. Gratitude Paper Chain: Students write what they’re thankful for on strips of paper and use the strips to make a gratitude chain to hang up in the classroom.

    4. Gratitude Graph: Each student writes one thing that he or she is grateful for on a sticky note and then plots it on a classroom gratitude graph. Categories might include people, things, places, actions, animals, etc.

    5. Gratitude Circle: Take students outside and sit or stand in a circle. Each person shares one thing that he or she is grateful for and why.

    6. Gratitude Surprise Sticky Notes: Students use sticky notes to write something they’re grateful for about another person in the school community & then deliver the notes, placing them where the person will see it, e.g., a desk, a phone, a cleaning cart.

    7. Gratitude Letters for the Community: Write letters of gratitude and deliver them to people in the greater school community, e.g., janitor, food staff, school administration. Expand this exercise to include the local community, such as police, fire station, bank, grocery store, hospital, electricians, etc.

    8. Gratitude Quotes: Give students their own gratitude quote and have them reflect upon and write about what their quote means to them.

    Resources:  ; 

  • For Your Heart: How Thanking Awakens Our Thinking

  • For Your Head: Self-Care Snapshot
    Shona Miranda

    As we move through our second term, concurrently teaching in-person and virtually, it may be time to do a snapshot on ourselves.  

    Please rate yourselves in the following areas using our grading system (5-10; once your ratings are complete add them together for a final score).

    Hydration - I drink 64 or more ounces of water daily
    Breathing - I am conscious of my breathing and take intentional deep breaths
    Sleep - I get at least 7 hours of sleep each night
    Sunshine - I get at least 30 minutes of sunshine daily

    If you have a total score of 36 or more:

    You are a self-care guru! Congratulations. You understand that there is no such thing as “running on empty”, and you check your fuel tank regularly, recharge your batteries, and avoid overloading yourself because you know you MUST put on your own oxygen mask first, before assisting others.

    How will you share your amazing gifts?

    If you have a total score of 32-35:

    You KNOW you need to take care of #1, yet you put yourself on the back burner far too often. By understanding the areas of self-care better, you bring forth the necessary reminders and find yourself ramping up your efforts in one or all of them. Today is your day. Pick at least one and make it your focus for the month. You’ve got this!

    Who will be your accountability partner?  

    If you have a total score of 25-31:

    You are no average student, but our snapshot confirms that you are barely making the grade for self-care. You also know how important it is to stay hydrated, breathe, sleep, and get sunshine, yet you may not be prioritizing yourself. It’s time to put self-care into your routine; only you can make this happen.

    How will you track your daily progress?

    If your score falls below 24:

    CALL 116! You need some self-care intervention. We are here to help. Seriously, call us at X53024.

    Summary:

    Vibrant health is a natural outcome for those who consistently prioritize hydration, breath work, sleep and sunshine. Today, more than ever, we need to keep our immune system strong.

    For those needing a reminder:

    Dehydration is a root cause of symptoms. Since our bodies are mostly water, we must be and stay committed to drinking a healthy amount of water each day. And, no, coffee doesn’t count - even though there is water in there. :)

    The fastest, and most effective, way to eliminate negative thoughts is to focus on your breath. Breathing is really the secret to meditation and yoga. It is by focusing on our breath that we attain a calmer presence.

    Sleep. We need it. It is critical for our mental health, not to mention our emotional, spiritual and physical health. There is no catching up on lost sleep.

    Sunshine is one of our most precious commodities here in Arizona. Did you know that 30 minutes of sunshine daily improves sleep, increases weight loss, and boosts serotonin in your brain? (Don’t forget your sunscreen).

     

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