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Saturday, May 5, 2018

Teaching about 'The Art of Gratitude'

There was an article in The Age a while back "Is gratitude for the selfish and the smug?" that got me thinking about what we teach our children about 'the art of gratitude'.



Many moons ago when I taught in a small Catholic girls school I was taken back by the generosity of the students and the way in which they displayed gratitude towards their teachers throughout the school year.

I have never taught in a school quite like it since. These students, who were far from entitled, took the time to say thank-you to their teachers for the work that they did. Part of this was upbringing, part was the values that school instilled in the students.

Gratitude appeared in many forms from easter eggs to thank-you cards. At the end of each school year, each form group would collectively buy a small gift for their teacher. The total cost $20, with a card saying thank-you. This small act, even though it was orchestrated by the school taught the students that it is right to give thanks.
"With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognise that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves," (Berry, 2016)
Should we show gratitude to our teachers?

As part of the online Leadership course that I am currently participating in, we have to explore our values as a leader. Gratitude is one of those values that I hold in high regards.  This is probably because of the time spent at Methodist Ladies College in Kew. It was perhaps the most memorable of the various independent schools that I have worked in.  I have a "brag book" to remember my time there filled with letters of gratitude.  Twenty years since I have worked there and although I remember the projects that I worked on and some of the people that I worked with, it is these letters that I cherish the most. Some are from Year Level Coordinators, Heads of School and even David Loader, who was the school Principal. They all acknowledged that I went above and beyond the call of duty to participate or complete a task. I was only there for three years and I have handfuls of these letters demonstrating my commitment to the profession.

Contrast that with another school where I worked there for over 10 years and I have maybe three examples of gratitude. When I spoke to the Head of school about showing more gratitude to the staff, he informed me that the teachers were privileged to work for the private school so why should he need to show more gratitude than that. Needless to say that at the time, they had an issue with staff retention.

You don't need a letterheaded letter to show gratitude to your staff. A post-it on a 'Freddo Frog' or a thank you note for making the effort. It is these little acts of kindness which reinforce the 'value of gratitude' in the organisation.

How do you show gratitude?

Flylady talks about blessing your house daily. Taking the time each day to leave it in a state that is tidy and organised. While most of us struggle with the idea; it is a form of showing gratitude for what we have around us. Making sure that our classrooms are clean for the next teacher is a way of showing gratitude.

Marie Kondo talks about thanking her clothes for the job that they have done by treating them respectfully (Fujikawa, 2018). Not dumping that t-shirt on the ground but thanking it for the job that it has done and then either placing it in the washing pile or back on the hanger.

The WNYC podcast about Gratitude (hosted by Susan Sarandon), raises some important points about how we teach students to both show and use gratitude in their day to day lives. Gratitude is learnt and if we value it in our society we need to teach it.

References:

Berry, S. (2016). Is gratitude for the selfish and the smug?. The Age. Retrieved 27 October 2017, from http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life/is-gratitude-for-the-selfish-and-the-smug-20160104-glz8ej.html

Fujikawa, J. (2018). Marie Kondo and the Cult of Tidying Up. [online] WSJ. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/marie-kondo-and-the-tidying-up-trend-1424970535 [Accessed 6 May 2018].

WNYC. (2018). The Science of Gratitude. [online] Available at: https://www.wnyc.org/story/science-gratitude/ [Accessed 6 May 2018].

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