The Death of Gratitude

GRATITUDE: A public show of appreciation for that which was received.

"...Even in the midst of this annus horribilis, of Zoom classes and quarantines without end, there is a world of people and things for which to be grateful: the scientists who developed new vaccines in record time; the millions of healthcare workers who labored to save others’ lives; the billions of dollars allocated for young people to have computers, wifi, lunches, and other social services; the millions of teachers who devoted long hours to relearning how to teach, online. Now is an ideal time to teach our young people that gratitude is always appropriate, no matter how flawed the world may be, and that gratitude makes human beings more joyful and optimistic about the future, no matter how much misfortune they may have suffered..."

Gratitude is an inherently western Judeo-Christian quality. The idea that you should be thankful for those things or situations you encounter goes back to some of our most treasured holiday traditions. And it goes beyond Thanksgiving. We show appreciation to veterans on Veterans Day, to those who gave the Ultimate Price for our nation on Memorial Day, to Secretaries on Secretaries Day, to Mothers and Fathers on their days-it's the idea of recognizing what sacrifices they have made to help YOU the individual.

When I began teaching, kids would bring gifts. Usually it was yummy treats, but I was always uncomfortable with that because I didn't want poorer kids to feel left out AND I didn't want parents to think I could be bought. The things I treasured most were handwritten notes and gifts, most of which I still have. But I gave too. For our AP Portfolio Reviews I'd bring donuts and sodas. For Secret Santa one year I went to Half Price Books and bought books my very small AP class could read and share. Giving, for me, is as much fun as getting.

I tried to teach Gratitude  in my Art One classes via a lesson I taught every year. Most students don't even write in cursive. I would crack out bottles of ink and dip pens and teach them how to do basic calligraphy. It's not an easy skill. It requires concentration and patience. We would practice alphabets and words and then their final project for a cumulative grade was to write a letter of gratitude discussing those things for which they were thankful. Many mentioned parents and homes. Some mentioned God. A few mentions video games or totally ridiculous things from pop culture. But the key was to somehow make these high school students think about their world and how others have provided for them. I would put these up in the hallway (names on the back of course) for others to read. It was sort of a blanket request for students and staff to develop an "Attitude of Gratitude." 

I highly doubt anyone is teaching this lesson in my old classroom now. I'm sure the pens are rusty and the ink has dried in the bottles because for all their claims of wanting to impose character and qualities on students, the younger teachers don't seem to want to emphasize internal character building. So imagine my shock and dismay to come across THIS STORY