Taking time to be thankful

'Tis the season to be thankful (although it really should be the season to be thankful throughout the year)! So I thought I'd take this time today to reflect on my thankfulness. I am thankful for my family, who put up with the times when I take over the kitchen table to do school work and are understanding of what my job entails. As challenging as it can be, I am incredibly thankful for my job and the colleagues I get to call my friends. I have a great 3rd grade team and am so thankful for the constant help they provide me! I also receive some tremendous help that I am so grateful to have from very dedicated people who support the special needs of my classroom. I am also thankful for the support I receive from the parents of my students. I appreciate the bond I have made with many of them in order to help the kids. I am thankful for my administrators, who push me to be the best that I can be. And I am thankful for my kids--we've been working through the adventure that is my classroom with the changes that I've tried to make, and they have helped me to become a more reflective teacher. With that said, I thought I would take some time to show some thankfulness for each of my kids (just first initials used, for the sake of privacy :-)
A-I am thankful for your constant drive to work hard when challenged.
A-I am thankful for those small moments when you let your humor sneak out.
B-I am thankful for your consistent willingness to help out when the time arises.
B-I am thankful for the reminder of the major challenges that students may face on a daily basis.
C-I am thankful for the friendship you have developed with a struggling student and your willingness to put him in his place when needed.
H-I am thankful for the reminder that some students work at a different pace.
I-I am thankful for your consistent hard work and drive.
I-I am thankful for the insight that you bring to our classroom conversations.
J-I am thankful for the friendship you have given to a new student.
J-I am thankful for your willingness to try even when things are challenging.
J-I am thankful for the growth that you have shown following a difficult start to the school year.
J-I am thankful for the consistency that you show day in and day out and the example you try to set.
M-I am thankful for the reminder of the impact that home-life challenges can have on school-life.
N-I am thankful for the reminder that some kids are simply looking for attention from an adult.
N-I am thankful for the example that you set for your classmates at all times.
N-I am thankful for your ability to show empathy for classmates with personal struggles.
P-I am thankful for your kind, innocent heart.
P-I am thankful for the reminder that some students have their hearts in the right place but struggle with showing it in the right way.
T-I am thankful for the friendship you have given to a new student.
(As I sit here typing this, I can't help but reflect on the fact that I need to be better at sharing these thankful thoughts with my students.)

Mindfulness thought for the week: Being thankful doesn't require work.

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