Improve Student Well-Being and Class Community Through Nature and Gratitude

Photo by @cassielumsden

Our NEW Teaching Environment and Lack of Well-Being

They say the pandemic is over, but did anyone mention this to our students? There is no denying that Covid changed our student’s well-being and sense of community, making our jobs measurably more difficult and thus taking a toll. Are you feeling a bit off? Highly anxious? Uncharacteristically down? If YOU are feeling this way, I can pretty much guarantee your students are as well.  Adolescents are all-over-the-place at the best of times, which makes them ever so adorable. It has never been more crucial that we authentically connect with our students as individuals. In doing so, we can effectively teach them gratitude to help students attend to their well-being and find their center.

Improve Teacher Well-Being with Gratitude

By now, we figured out that in order to be the rock for our students and our personal families, we need to pay attention to our own well-being first. There are many ways we can do this; meditation, yoga, getting out in nature, and if all else fails…well, that is why we have wine.

I’ve tried all of the above, and some things work for me, others not so much.  I find the meditation thing incredibly difficult; the more I try to quiet my mind, the more it feels like I am herding cats.  However, I found one thing that is easy to do, doesn’t take a lot of time and produces a huge effect. 

This is …..

wait for it……

to practice gratitude.

Practice Gratitude, Authentically

The internet is filled with articles and people who discuss the virtues of practising gratitude. Oprah says to do it, so it must be good! At the beginning of the pandemic, when we were told to stay at home, I only left the house to walk the dog and my kids (much to their chagrin). I found myself taking photos of beautiful things I noticed, or my goofy kids – whatever caught my attention.

As I continued to take photos of all that I was grateful for, I became aware of the therapeutic qualities of my actions. I began to notice things hidden in the most unlikely places and these nuggets were everywhere. I found it in the smell of freshly baked sourdough bread – yes, I too jumped on that bandwagon. It was in the laughter we share when competing at board games. It was in the softness of my dog’s fur as we cuddle. Being able to find the good in life helps me maintain my social and emotional well-being in our new post-pandemic world.

Students Well-Being Depends on Community

In 2020, when school was shut down and we began online teaching, my students had no idea how to use an online platform. It took quite a (stressful) while to get my ducks in a row, as they were nowhere to be found. Once I located and gathered my little ducklings, I sensed their sadness, loneliness, and fear.  I realized I needed to do something to boost their social and emotional health, as well as engage them so they would not wander off. Students, both then and now, need opportunities to practice resiliency, take control of their mental well-being and feel empowered. How to do this in a way that will create student buy in? I wracked my brain.

Read: Embrace Nature’s Influence Through Social and Emotional Activitites, The Inquiry Method and Classroom Decor

OR Visit Our TPT Store

What Do Teenagers Love? 

What DO teenagers LOVE? Hmmmm, what could that BE?

Eureka!

Their cell phones!

To hook the students, I created a lesson on how to take great cell phone photos and the engagement was palpable. They viewed short videos on the virtues of gratitude and took creative photos of things they were grateful for. You can find the entire lesson plan, student handout and activities here.

Before this lesson, I completed the activity myself, creating a power point to use as an example. As it so happens, this became an authentic way for students to get to know me better. To my delight, the work the students produce is downright impressive. I am moved by the quality and effort they put into this assignment, especially given what we all are dealing with in our lives. I honour how they eagerly share their innermost lives with me. None of my previous “Get To Know You” activities ever comes close to reaching this level of connection and I now start each and every year with this assignment.

Gratitude Provides A Source of Amazement

What continues to surprise me is the reaction from my students.  Many give unsolicited feedback on how much gratitude helps their mental state. They even continue to take photos and journal on their own. Even the boys! I tell ya….if you can hook a teenage boy with a school assignment, you know you’ve got a keeper! In my quest to always improve my practice, in the future I plan to give even more class time for students to share their work with each other. The idea being that this will authentically create a positive classroom community right from the start.

Every year, I am pleasantly reminded of the depth to which this assignment helps the social and emotional well-being of both myself and my students.  As teachers, we are lucky when we strike something so rich that has this type of impact. Often, we really have no idea the influence we have on our students, but with this, the effect is obvious.

For detailed lesson plans and teaching resources, click here.