Say “Thank You” to the teacher. Is the common sentence I hear every week when children leave the studio.
The response is usually a silence or a small wave from the child.
Is saying Thank You the only way to show gratitude?
We share lots of beautiful moments in the classroom. Children show their gratitude in many ways; hugs, help to clean the tables, help to lay the mat for storytime, help their friends with projects, line up to wash hands, listen attentively, saying excuse me when they need to interrupt, trying all the new things and being in a ready to learn mode, allowing me to help them regulating their big feelings. And the list goes on.
The belief system that we have in us that only recognizes the word thank you as a form of gratitude has shadowed everything else the child does.
This week has been a pretty interesting week for me, so many things to be grateful for and yet the one disappointment is following me like a shadow and it pops up in everything I do. I sat down in silence this morning to sit with my feelings and talked it out.
I listed down all the things I was grateful for this week
Met a beautiful teacher that will fill in an available position in the studio. She is so passionate about what she does
Gifted Thanusyia (a leukaemia child patient) a Brainbow Box
Agatha’s mum gave us homemade cookies
Cross path with an influencer mum, who loves our classes and is working with us
Vaishnavi’s drawings
Surin being there
Tasha, Janey, Nemo, Danielle, Ana that make magic happen in class
Parents who trust what I do and continued classes despite pandemic
A very personal blessing I received
So many gits, so many opportunities. So many I observed and grabbed while being in the moment.
I still dont feel better YET but I know I will.
Gratitude is an emotion. It’s physiological. We feel it with our heart. Grateful living is
Every moment is a gift.
What are you grateful for this week and how did you express it?
If you are not sure, as David Steindl-Rast said “Stop, Look, Go”. And you will notice it. Even the smaller things.
