Even in difficult times, there are always opportunities to be thankful. The Thank You Letter (Holiday House) shares a young girl’s story as one thank-you note leads to another, creating a cascade of thanks all around her town. What a great message for right now!
One lucky teacher will be randomly selected to win this book. For your chance, submit a comment to this blog by Thursday, April 16, and share one person who you’d like to thank for something today–the neighbor who picked up your groceries, the student who made you laugh, the colleague who solved your tech problem, or the spouse who brought you a cup of tea when you needed it. We’ll create our own cascade of thanks! (Congratulations to Christine who is the winner of our prize.)
Here are some fun freebies that I hope you’ll find helpful:
Looking to beef up your science and social studies instruction, especially if you’re teaching remotely? Tap into the Britannica Science and Social Studies Launch Packs. Designed for K-12, the Launch Packs are now free to schools across the country. Find out more at britannicalearn.com/covid-19-free-resources.
Get kids reading with Youngzine, a free online magazine focused on current events. Designed for upper elementary, articles explore the background for news stories, spark curiosity, and even publish students’ own work. Take a peek at youngzine.org.
Feeling crafty? Operation Gratitude is seeking hand-made items for members of the military. Paracord bracelets, knitted and crocheted scarves and hats, handmade greeting cards, and more are all needed. Get the details here.
Allow me to take a moment to thank YOU for reading along and submitting your comments. You’re truly a ray of sunshine day after day and week after week!
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| Karen |
PS: New prizes, new prizes, new prizes! Click here to see the latest in the Learning magazine digital issue.
I am thankful for my paraeducators who are helping me get everything completed & to our students.
I am thankful to all the families, educators, counselors, administrators, lunch room staff, bus drivers, etc. for all they are doing to make sure the learning continues during this difficult time in our history! I am also thankful to everyone who is serving our nation to make it through this tough time. So many people are doing their best to do what is best for others! Thanks to ALL!
I would write a thank you to my principal and assistant principal for being so wonderful during this process. It has been a chore for them a I know.
I’m thankful for God’s love, my loving family, and true friends. I’m also thankful that my loving husband prepares a delicious breakfast for us every morning.
Despite all that is going on in the world, I have many things to be thankful for, both past and present. Just the fact that I am here today, given another day, is a gift in itself.
I thank all the grocery store workers for putting themselves out everyday to help through this national crisis.
I am thankful that Debbie stays in touch daily since I live alone and we are under shelter in place orders
I’d like to thank my friend, Nancy for checking on me and for the homemade bread.
I am thankful for the whole community for being supportive of each other.
Thankful for my coworkers, my littles , family and friends.
I find someone different to be thankful for everyday. Today, it is my colleague, Kathleen. She helped me to not take a virtual faculty meeting more seriously than needed. She helped me maintain my focus on caring for kids and caring for each other.
I am thankful for my husband who helped me figure out some tech stuff today to help me with remote learning.
Thankful for all the people dedicating their minds to research & discovery.
I’m thankful that I have a comfortable home to be stuck in and a neighborhood that I can safely walk around during this stay at home/social distancing time. I’m thankful that I am able to still teach my students, even though it is all online. I’m also thankful for my cats. Their purring helps to calm and relax my frazzled nerves.
Today, and most days, I am thankful for my husband. He keeps me grounded and through his love and support, I can get through any situation.
I’m thankful for my family. We are all working from home, and making it work.
I am thankful for those making responsible decisions to keep everyone safe.
I am so thankful for all of the workers that continue to keep the supply chain going in this country so that we can continue to have access to all the essential goods that we need.
I am thankful that my mom lives with me and nourishes my soul with cups of tea.
I am thankful for my husband. Don’t know how I’d get through this without him. He is so good at staying calm and looking to the future in a positive way.
I am thankful for my students’ parents who keep me included in their children’s lives while we are away from school! We’re supporting each other from our homes during this time of social distancing.
It takes something like this to get you to slow down and appreciate and be thankful for everything around you! Living in a fast paced world of work and life we have been forced to slow ourselves down and when you do you are able to notice and be thankful for the small things as well as the big! I’m so thankful to just be right now! For my family and those around me that need!
I am thankful for the entire staff at my school. Each and every day they show their caring nature and their can do spirit.
I am thankful for my students and their families for their understanding and support while we try to find a way in our small rural community to continue this school year without being in the classroom. They have been rockstars!
I am thankful for my sister for being my test student while I practice teaching in Zoom.
I am thankful for my mom. She calls and checks in on me everyday.
I am finding so many things to be thankful for. My husband for helping me set up a virtual classroom space. My daughter, here from NYC, helping me navigate technology. The safety and health of my family. My students and their families for working so hard and keeping in touch. I could go on and on.
I am thankful for the parents of my 14 first graders. They have been so patient and understanding as I work through the whole process of distant learning. They have sent me messages from their children when I need them the most!
I am thankful for talking to my mom yesterday, as she lives in an assisted living facility and I haven’t physically been able to hug her in three weeks. I am thankful for my family, my friends and all those on the front lines helping us every day.
I love the idea of writing thank you letter (good old fashion snail mail, lol) to helpers in the community! 🙂
I want to thank all doctors and medical staff working right now! Also my husband and all the pharmaceutical staff who are making sure people are being taken care of when they are sick.
I am thankful for the parents who are supporting me with kind words and encouragement. They are supporting me just as much as they are supporting their children at home.
I say thank you to my paper carrier, who has continued to faithfully make his daily delivery. He always places my newspaper on my front porch right next to the door. His thoughtfulness lets me lean out and grab the paper without forcing me to (get dressed and) go out into the elements. It’s a small but meaningful gesture that helps me remember that people still care about each other.
I am thankful for all medical personal(docs, nurses, paramedics), first responders, police, and firefighters for putting themselves in harms way to keep us safe. God bless you all????We are in this together! Flatten the Curve.
A special Thank You to one of my parents who has been texting me on a regular basis to see how I am doing and if I need anything. When you a single and do not have family close by it really means a lot that someone is checking in on you.
I send a thank you to our wonderful Pre-K director who understands our situations and is there to walk beside us and help us. I also thank my husband who’s always by my side in the happy moments and the rough ones too.
I am thankful for my team of 4th grade teachers who patiently work with me to learn new technology and correct my mistakes while doing online school.
I would like to thank another teacher named Jennifer in Kansas who helped me with some technical questions that I had to help support me during distance learning with my students. I have never met her (only through blogs), but she took the time to make me a tutorial. So grateful and appreciative.
I am thankful for all the healthcare professionals who risk their lives daily to care for those that have contracted the virus. I am thankful for my colleagues who are continuing to produce lessons to keep our students learning. And last but not least, I am thankful for the support of my husband who has his own health issues with Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t know how I could get through these days at home without him!
I am thankful for so many things right now. Thankful for my sweet students, creative grade level teammates & co-workers, and my supportive administration!! So thankful for a wonderful church family- online worship, music, and Bible lessons!! Thankful for healthcare professionals risking their lives to save others, police and fire keeping us safe, truck and delivery drivers getting supplies and food to stores, and grocery store associates working to stay open and provide food!! Just grateful for this extra time with my husband and daughters. Keep your Faith. Stay strong. Focus on the positive.
Right now it is important to be thankful. Every day I encourage my family and my students to find at least one thing to be thankful for, even if it is a small thing (eg. “it didn’t rain today). Teaching students to show thankfulness orally or through the written word is very important. Through this book I could demonstrate both way. I would read it to the whole group, create an anchor chart together of little things to be thankful for, after that we would plan out a thank you letter. I was also excited to read that the military is looking for crochet items to be donated. I have been learning how to crochet and I’m excited that I can do something other than make scrubbies! Thank you for all the information you present.
I am thankful for my son who helps me so much at home. He is a real blessing. Not only does he help me but he helps both of his elderly Grandmothers that are unable to get out very much. He shops for them and keeps their yards looking great! God has blessed us so much through him. God Bless, Keep your Faith, Stay strong, and Stay Healthy!
I am thankful for all of the people who are still going to work to support our needs in grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and especially our first responders and medical professionals.
I am thankful for all of the people who are still going to work to support our needs in grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and especially our first responders and medical professionals.
My daughter for keeping life happy in these uncertain times.
I am thankful that our students and staff are safe and healthy! I miss them so!
I am grateful for my teaching colleagues for their generous and ongoing support during these challenging times.
I am thankful to my graduate professor who stood by me through some hard times that I was having at school (where I was teaching)/ She guided me throughout the whole time and gave me words of encouragement. She was my light when I thought that I had lost everything. Now thanks to her and her encouragement I am continuing with my education. I’m pursuing my PhD and want to follow her legacy.
I thank my Technology Coordinator for offering an online PD session in Zoom to SHOW us how to use it effectively while we’re #eLearning!!
I am grateful to be alive and thankful for all the little things we take for granted-friends and family, a beautiful day, enough food, shelter, ability to have contact with students, coworker, and administrators, and the company of a GOOD book!
I am so grateful for my 1st grade student who sent me a card in the mail letting me know what she misses about school…how I make her laugh. It put such a smile on my face. 🙂
Sincere gratitude to the families and parents graciously taking on the roles of educators. Together we will see it through!
This book would be very inspiring to anyone who reads it, sharing the message of how important it can be to do a simple act of kindness.
Our staff just did a parade of cars around the town where I teach. There were 2 school buses to lead the way, 25 cars decked out in signs, balloons, flags, 2 fire engines, and the police chief taking up the rear. We saw so many families out in the rain with signs directed to us. My heart felt thank you to the amazing students, parents, grandparents, caregivers, the incredible staff and town fire dept. and police. I truly teach in an amazing community.
I am so gtateful for my students. Working remotely from home has not been easy and I miss my students terribly. They are also adapting to this unexpected change in their lives. On Tuesday, March 31st my students overloaded my email with pictures, videos and drawings. They were wishing me a Happy Birthday. My heart was full! I want to thank them for their acts of kindness.
I’m thankful for a great Pilates instructor keeping me going virtually!
I am sending a thank you to my 3rd grade team for working so cooperatively during this difficult time. Also, for supporting me through the loss of my mom . Thank you ladies!
I am thankful for my students who are cheerfully and diligently doing their best to work hard and continue their learning on-line and from home! I am so thankful for their parents who are so supportive in this endeavor! I am thankful for our schools tech-support guru, Don B, who offers help, encouragement and applaud’s my progress! I mostly love the pictures/journal entries and sweet messages from my students! Through this shared experienced we are bonding in a deeper way than ever before!
I am thankful for my fellow educators, kinders, parents and my family. It takes a village to work together to see progress.
I am sending out this, “Thank you!!” to my husband, ((crazy Scottish/Irishman)), for making me laugh A LOT during this season of being shut ins. We are both teachers. Today I was stricken with a painless migraine for the first time in I don’t recall How many years… as I lay down to rest for a bit, he read email replies to me until the iced coffee he brought in did its work (by the way, less than 10 minutes! That’s got to be some kind of record, at least for me. LOL). In retrospect perhaps the whole ordeal was brought on by his sneak attack yesterday (April Fools Day), when he came silently up to our bedroom door/my new home office space, and popped an air-filled plastic bag LOUDly. I tend not to deal very well with being startled; but, I “jumped” in my chair, turned around in it, did my controlled breathing, not saying a word, as he laughed and laughed… once I had my composure back, I made a face *chin up, stiff-upper-lip* and cheekily remarked that “What goes around tends to come back around…” and left it at that. … until just after sunset I sprang into the living room from the bathroom with a very throaty scream!!! ROTFL He had been watching practical joke videos for some time, and was primed for the ‘pounce!!! Love is a many splendoured thing. Have fun!!! and be thankful that you didn’t have to endure that sort of retaliation. I’m a classically trained singer and have sung before many, many times… including Opera 😉
Thank you is such a simple phrase with such a powerful message, especially during this national crisis and future uncertainties. I need to thank my wonderful husband of 31 years as he has been my anchor during this educational curveball! My roller coaster of emotions have not been the most pleasant for him but with his encouragement & constant laughter, I do believe I can get thru this online teaching!!!
I’m grateful for the families who are supporting us with grace and kindness during this crazy time! Thank you to Mailbox as well!
I want to thank my coworkers today. It’s rough working from home as well as taking care of my 5 year old twins as they continue their education at home. My coworkers are understanding and supportive of my stress level at this time and they check on me often! I am blessed!
I am thankful to live in a supporting, caring community. It makes my heart happy to know that we can all come together-while keeping our distance-for the common goal of helping each other.
I am thankful to my parents who look after my daughter twice a week so my husband and I can work full time and reduce our childcare costs. I am thankful for the opportunity that my daughter gets in building a close relationships with my parents, as I didn’t get that opportunity to have with my grandparents as we lived interstate.
I am thankful for my sister who calls me daily to check in. I am thankful for my niece who works tirelessly at a hospital to care for the sick. I am thankful for my school colleagues who are entering this distance learning situation with care and compassion for our students and for each other.
I’d like to thank my neighbors for many things: hand sewn masks, lunch delivery and cookie treats! They are amazing.
I’d like to thank the stranger in Montreal who found my wallet and sent it back to me intact in Vancouver with a cheque in place of the money I had just taken out of a bank machine! I’ve been fortunate to “meet” kind people like this person almost every place I’ve visited!
Although the virus is bad, thank it for the opportunity for my family to spend time together.
I am thankful the grocery store workers are there for us every day, doing the best they can to make sure we have what we need to stay healthy and alive!
During this time of coronavirus isolation for all, I was inspired to use this book as a jumping-off point to have my primary students create a thank you note, write a message and post or share it with the intended recipient. In times of adversity, a little bit of sunshine can brighten a world.
I’m thankful for all the essential workers who continue to work and keep everything going.
Since I live in Illinois and we are finally getting some Spring like weather, I am so thankful there are beautiful flowers and forsythia bushes in bloom and the birds are singing! Love going on my walks around the neighborhood and seeing other people out doing the same and sharing a “hello”, so thankful for neighbors as well.
Let me make a list of those who I am NOT thankful for:
;o)
Today I would like to thank my fellow preschool teachers who have been a great source of inspiration and practical ideas.
I would like to thank my mom today for cheering me up when I am sad.
I am thankful that I am still able to work and connect with my students and school community. The fact that we can connect through Google Hangouts or Zoom makes being at home a little less stressful.