I
think of myself as a pretty grateful person. I do my best to appreciate the
little things and big things in life on a daily basis. When Tara Martin tweeted
about the #GratitudeSnap challenge during the month of November, I knew I was
in! I also knew that this was something I wanted to bring into my classroom for
my students to try.
Through
the Seesaw app and using Pic Collage, the students were challenged to create and
post a #GratitudeSnap daily, about something that they were grateful for. I
knew I would get the typical I'm grateful for my video games, my clothes, and
toys. However, they surpassed my hopes for this challenge. The kids pushed past
objects they were thankful for and started to notice much more in the world
around them. They became more mindful of their everyday lives and surroundings.
I
felt during this time in my classroom, the students were more in the moment
appreciating little things, along with being calmer. Another benefit of
participating in the class #Graduatesnaps was further enhancing our class
community. Through SeeSaw they got to see their classmates #GratitudeSnaps and
get to know the many sides of them. Such
as, the student who posted that she was thankful for her Tae Kwon Do, art, and
swimming lessons when the rest of the class didn't even know that these parts
of her existed. They are a huge part of this young girl as a person and the other
kids needed to know this. As did I. My eyes were opened up to my students many
talents, hobbies, and the family and friends they were thankful for. Equally as
beautiful were the student’s comments to each other.
I
am forever grateful to @taramartin for her blogs, her inspiration, and for getting
this challenge out to the world, for my students to participate in.
Check out my students reflections on #GratitudeSnaps!
