A Lesson on Gratitude From My Students Dr. Cathy Coker Gratitude means taking time to remember the good things that have happened to you in the past, whether it is an event, a person, a good thought you had or resolving conflicts with others. As a teacher we have many of these moments when you have a classroom full of seven-yearolds. Sometimes these moments are good and sometimes they are not so good.
For Example: On Friday October 14, 2022, three of my students got into a dispute in class which led to the three students sobbing with remorse for what they did to each other. In times like these I get so frustrated with them when they are mean and rude to each other at such a young age. I teach 2 nd grade and that day they made each other cry alligator tears and in turn I too wanted to cry. But I knew this was a lesson of gratitude for us to learn.
Children are great at letting go of their hurt feelings, but on this day, Izabella taught me a lesson. When I asked the boys to apologize to each other Izabella commented that she needed time to reflect on what had just happened. I am grateful for what I learned from Izabella. She said
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Teachers Making a Difference | Issue 4, November 2022
to me when I asked her to forgive her classmates for being unkind to her and to each other. She responded, “I will need three days to let go of my hurt that is in my heart before I can forgive him.” One of the boys called her a “snitch”, which hurt her feelings because she was standing up for another student.
I’ve noticed that bullying starts at a young age now. Trust, a student, was upset because Ken had thrown away his new marker after he told him not to touch his stuff. But Ken did not care and threw it anyway. Ken is not known for his kindness, instead he is harsh and rude to others. A bully. He has often revealed that he is like that because his brother treats him that way. My heart goes out to Ken. I pray that Ken learns sooner than later that being a bully isn’t the right way to be. Having to defend himself from his brother prevents him from forming long lasting relationships with his peers. Today is Monday morning October 17, 2022 and Izabella came up to me and said that she was ready to forgive Ken. I was floored when I heard that. I remember days that I had a heart that
