TL;DR:
- Many of us are struggling this school year and are working hard to stay positive.
- Thinking about the little things can help you find reasons to be thankful.
- Be the one who gives someone a “little thing” to be grateful for.
Gratitude. It can be hard to come by this year. Many of us are suffering from the “fall blues” in addition to still recovering from the COVID year. I don’t even know if recovering is the right word since we are still living through the pandemic.
So what can I be thankful for?
There are the obvious reasons: my health, the health of my loved ones, having a job, food, shelter, and so on. Sometimes we take those necessities for granted, but they still exist. I am thankful for them.
Stop and appreciate the little things. Or maybe even be the one who gives someone that moment. You never know how much the person at the other end needs it. Click To TweetBut what keeps me going from day to day…
It’s the little things. I am thankful for the pumpkin latte one of my teammates brought me the other day from my favorite coffee shop. Actually, I was having a very bad morning, you know, one of those ones where you drive to school with tears streaming down your face (or maybe I am the only one who does that). I got to school, and she surprised me with a coffee. It was as if she knew I would need it that morning. I was so incredibly thankful for it.
I am thankful for the former student I greeted in the hallway the other day. Afterward, I overheard her whisper to her friend that I was one of her favorite teachers. Sometimes you need to hear that. I was grateful for her words and the smile they put on my face.
Next week, I get to attend the virtual NCTE convention. My principal covered my attendance. I am thankful I have such a supportive administrator who always wants the best for his students. I am also grateful for the line-up of that conference. If you haven’t looked into it, it will be AMAZING!!
I am an avid reader of all books and a reading teacher. I am thankful for my district not putting restrictions on the books in our libraries and classrooms. If you have seen the news, you know what I am talking about. Some places around the country have been pulling beautiful books with diverse characters and voices from the shelves. I am so thankful that is not happening here.
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I am thankful for my relationship with my coworkers. The teachers in my little pod have each other’s backs and always lend an ear or a shoulder. Who laugh and cheer or vent and cry. Without them, I would not make it through the year.
Gratitude
Our profession is very rewarding but can also be all-consuming. It has always been this way. But now, in a time with so much division and stress and everything constantly at our fingertips with technology, it is downright exhausting. Trying to be positive can be so difficult. Trying to feel thankful can seem impossible. But it helps. The little things. They exist. Though it may take a moment to remember them. Stop and appreciate them. Or maybe even be the one who gives someone that moment. You never know how much the person at the other end needs it.
See the full “Whoa-vember: A Month to Celebrate” blog series here!
About Nikki Piercy
Nikki is a 6th-grade reading teacher in Central Illinois. Prior to teaching middle school, Nikki taught 3rd and 4th grade. In addition, Nikki is a Digital Content Editor with the Teach Better Team. She graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s in Elementary Education in 2006 and a master’s degree in Teaching and Learning in 2016.
She is passionate about fostering a love for reading in all students. One of her main goals is to bring diverse and relevant literature into all classrooms.
Nikki loves to spend her free time reading a good book while cuddling with her cat and dog. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter. They love to thrift, try new foods, and go on adventures.
