Gratefulness In School
vs. entitlement
Demonstrating appreciation to others for what I have and how they have helped me
To practice Gratefulness I will:
- show others how much I appreciate them
- write thank-you notes
- take care of what I have
- count my benefits rather than my burdens
- be content
Teacher ‘Appreciation’
– Bill Croskey
Recently, one of my friends ran into another friend of mine. They had not known each other prior to being introduced. Later, one of them told me about the meeting. Somehow, they quickly figured out that they had at least one mutual friend, me. To this day, I don’t know how they figured out that they both knew me. Or why. I guess I at least understand the point of Facebook’s Mutual Friends section now.
It is bewildering yet truly gratifying to me to know that people actually think about me when I am not there. I subscribe to the theory that if I am out of sight, I am out of mind. I used to wish that I had a red light bulb somewhere close by (it could be green; or orange; no matter). Anytime someone thought about me, the light bulb would flash. (You know, like the old saying that if someone is being talked about out of their presence, their ears will burn or turn red. ) I told a friend about that. She said, with all sincerity, “You do have that light. Every time people are thinking of you – and its more often than you think – the light bulb glows. You just don’t know it!”
This all sounds pretty self-absorbed, huh? If I had perfect confidence, complete maturity, was fully poised, I would probably not need to know whether I was in the thoughts of others. Well, those goals are on my “To Do” List – and they’re not checked off. In the meantime, I am the typical educator;…