The hustle and bustle of the school year makes it easy to feel short on time and even shorter on energy! Taking a moment to pause and reflect on what you’re grateful for in your personal and work life can help you center your energy where it matters. The Discovery Education team asked members of the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) why they’re grateful to be a teacher and gathered resources to inspire that same gratitude in educators and students.
Reflecting on Why You're Thankful
Teaching requires commitment and perseverance, but it also comes with unique emotional rewards. We asked DEN STARs why they’re grateful to be teachers—check out their answers and connect with Discovery Education on social media (@DiscoveryEd) to share why you are grateful to be a teacher!
- I am grateful to be a teacher because I have a passion for lifelong learning and the ability to encourage my students to be the best version of themselves. I strive to empower my students with confidence, pique their curiosity, and help them find their voices. – Mindy Kernahan, Gifted Enrichment Teacher
- I am grateful to teach each day since it gives me the opportunity to learn from my students and for me in turn to facilitate their learning. Each day together we grow as individuals and as a community. From this gratitude I have joy walking into the classroom every day. – C. Krause, Middle School Science Teacher
- I am grateful to be a teacher because of what I learn from students and colleagues each and every day. – Merek C., Science Instructional Coach
- I’m most grateful when I can be there for a student who needs me. It isn’t just about what I am teaching them, but how I give them confidence in themselves and confidence in their relationship with me to ask for help or ‘let it go’ when they need to. I’m grateful I’m there when they need me, however they need me. – K. Clark, Middle School Science Teacher
Life is busy! Creating a routine of reflection can help re-energize you when you’re feeling overwhelmed or even when your calendar feels clear. The Ready, Set, RISE Channel from DE’s partnership with Kaiser Permanente offer resources to help teachers with stress management and overall social-emotional learning. Happy, healthy teachers make a greater impact on their students!
Encouraging Students to Reflect on Gratitude
A great part of being a teacher is helping students grow and showcasing your routines for reflection, gratitude, and mindfulness can inspire them to try these routines for themselves! Find resources to help students of all ages explore what they’re grateful for in Discovery Education Experience!
Inner Explorer’s short, daily exercises focus on key areas of development, bringing mindfulness to students in grades PreK-12! With exercises on the practice of gratitude, students can learn how they can mindfully recognize the good in their life by noticing and focusing on thoughts that make them feel happy or excited.
Discovery Education and LG have teamed up to take students on a Virtual Field Trip to explore the science behind happiness! Discover Your Happy takes students in grades PreK-12 on a journey to understand how happiness is a learnable skill that can be achieved through the six sustainable happiness skills: mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity, and gratitude.
The Dove Self-Esteem Project and Discovery Education have partnered to create Amazing Me, providing standards-aligned, easy-to-use resources for educators and families to build life-long confidence and self-esteem in their students. With high self-esteem and body confidence, kids are more likely to reach their full potential in life!
There are many reasons why you might be grateful to be a teacher, and Discovery Education is grateful for all teachers! Connect with DE on social media (@DiscoveryEd) and share with us why you’re thankful for being a teacher!
