Celebration honoured. This is the loveliest of reasons to share. Join Ruth Ayres who shares a Celebration Link up on her blog each week.
This week I want to celebrate the gratitude that happens in my classroom every week.
I teach a Grade 2/3/4 class of delightful and compassionate children. Here are some of them sending some PEACE to the world after their hip hop performance today.
Every week, at least once, we have a Gratitude Circle and pass a special stone. On the first go around some children might not share (they can say “Pass”). But as the stone comes around again, everyone always takes a turn. We talk about how sharing your gratitude (big or small) is a gift and hearing other people’s gratitude lifts us up.
In our circle on Tuesday, one of our girls said:
“I am grateful for all of the gratefulness in the room.”
This statement stopped us in our tracks for a moment. What a profound observation. What a beautiful community we have created. Because it lifts me up every week, I am sharing some of the precious gratitude statements I got to hear this week here. What better thing to celebrate?
“I am grateful . . .
- ” . . . for the new nonfiction books and all of the other books in our room.”
- ” . . . because it is almost my Mom’s birthday.”
- ” . . . for yoga because it calms us down.”
- ” . . . because we are going to do a Hip Hop performance and we can Krump!”
- ” . . . for the Rump book because we all love it and it is so fun.” (Oh how we love you, Liesl Shurtliff!)
- ” . . . for people who can be kind to each other.”
- ” . . . for my family.”
- ” . . . for Valentines day and love.”
- ” . . . for all the teachers and adults who help us at our school.”
Wishing everyone a week full of moments to stop and be grateful. Thank you for celebrating with me!
There's a Book for That 
Yes, the gratitude and celebration spirit lifts us up. My class shares celebrations of the week during our Friday’s closing circle. I’d like to join the little girl who said, “I am grateful for all of the gratefulness in the room.” Have a lovely weekend!
That sounds lovely to have a closing circle on Fridays. It does give to others to hear celebrations and gratitude.
Kids sometimes make the best observations. You should tell your class the readers of your post felt peace and happiness after reading what you wrote about them!
Wow, thanks Earl. I will tell them!
I love this idea of a gratitude circle. I miss morning meetings and circles with my class. I tried to continue with this practice when I moved up to middle school, but I just didn’t have enough space in my classroom to get us into a circle, and this proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back of my resolve to get middle schoolers to communicate in this way. I am so thankful for your post today because I miss these types of conversations in my classroom.
Sharing in a circle really is powerful. I am happy this post made you happy but sad that you aren’t able to have this in your current teaching situation.
What a great practice. My teaching partner does this in their math journals. They have an attitude of gratitude page they write every other week. I like the oral sharing of it though. Without that your student wouldn’t have had the profound observation, “I am grateful for all of the gratefulness in the room.” Teaching kids to do this makes for lovely humans and a lovely classroom. It should be a standard:)
You’re right – it is important to notice our own gratitude but even more powerful to experience the sharing from others. And yes, agreed – this should just be best practice and something done in all rooms. It creates such community.
Your students shared so many beautiful things…I love how you have a “gratitude circle” each week.
Thanks Loralee. It is really a lovely thing we share in our room.
Loved this post, Carrie. And I am still giggling over the krumping comment! That’s hilarious!
You should have seen the performance! Still smiling at the memory!
What a lovely post, Carrie! I used to do “grateful good-nights” with my boys when they were younger but you have inspired me to bring back this ritual! What a great thing to do with your students. I’m grateful for you! : ) Have a great long weekend.
Thanks you Adrienne. Sharing in a gratitude circle is such a lovely thing. How sweet to have “grateful good-nights” Love that 🙂
I am grateful for the genuine joy with which you observe and share the voices of your delightful children. I am returning to my classroom on Monday after a three month recovery from surgery, I think that is what I have missed most– those comments that put and keep a smile on your face in the same way so many of your posts do for me.
Stephanie, thank you so much for such a lovely comment. It made my night! Wishing you lots of lovely moments with your students and good health! Good luck next week!
I am grateful for a great family!!!! 😉
And I am blessed to have you my little Bean.
A gratitude circle…love it! My class was grateful for RUMP and Liesl Shurtliff, too! 🙂
Rump is pretty amazing! I loved the little voice that announced their gratitude for this title and then all of the nods and yes, yes, yes! We love this book! What a read aloud!
So happy you love Rump, too, Carrie-what a treasure it is. Now looking forward to more from Liesl Shurtliff!
Oh so am I! My entire class are ready made fans!
A gratitude circle is such a sweet and wonderful idea. Great work with such talented kids. I enjoyed reading your post.
Thank you! I am truly fortunate to share gratitude with these children every week!
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