This isn't a typical post. It's not about the standards or the lessons you can create from this photo. It's a reflection about gratitude, and one I think we all need at this point in the year.
I love this photo. If you haven't seen it, the story is that this is a photo taken after a young boy was given a new pair of shoes by a Red Cross worker after WWII.
The pure joy, appreciation and peace you see in his face brings warmth to my heart. It's a reminder to me to be grateful for the little things, the things I have, and the things that haven't happened to me. If only I could be this grateful for something like a pair of shoes.
As the year ends, we all long for vacation, a break, and time away from the classroom. We can't wait for a break from students complaining, parents emailing, and administrative demands. But what if we were grateful for the little things?
I know Oprah encourages everyone to find 5 things to be grateful for each day. Here are mine:
1. I'm grateful that a struggling student who ditched the final, missed about 5 weeks of class this semester, and failed spectacularly, still felt enough of a connection with me to stop by and apologize for missing the final, and to give me a small gift of 5 dry erase markers, an eraser and a bottle of Expo spray. No matter how much we struggled to connect in mathematics, he must have felt a connection to me in some way. I'm lucky that this young man reminded me never to give up on a student and his potential to be a wonderful person, despite his struggles in math.
2. I'm grateful for the students who work hard and never give up. For the young man who came in early today to ask for help creating his "cheat sheet" for the final because it was important to him to do well tomorrow. He didn't wait until the last minute, he didn't complain, he was polite and kind and eager to learn. I'm also grateful for the young ladies (TWO!) who put forth 100% effort on their finals today even though the grade on the final was unlikely to change their grade in the class. They worked carefully, stayed late, and did an amazing job.
3. I'm grateful for colleagues who strive to show others how much they care, strive to make others' jobs easier, and strive to support me as I work with kids. Today I had three incredible opportunities to appreciate my colleagues. First, our department chair organized a pot-luck lunch along with a "goodbye" celebration for a department member who is moving to another school. He was touched by the card, the cake, and the camaraderie. Two colleagues reached out to support me in teaching a single-gender math class next year offering support in any way that might help the class be successful. Finally, I interacted with three different ISS team members as we administered finals to students on IEPs. Each one communicated clearly, efficiently, and supportively in helping me to make difficult decisions regarding students and their final grades.
4. In the last several days, I have received numerous parent emails, even in difficult situations (students failing) who thanked me for my hard work and for doing everything I could to support kids. When exhaustion sets in, and you are expecting a scathing email of frustration, a simple "Thank You" goes a long way. This is a reminder, to me, to say THANK YOU to all of the people who are working hard to make my job easier every day.
5. As I grade finals, it's easy to feel frustrated with the lower scores, the outrageous mistakes, or what appears to be kids who didn't even try. But, taking a step back, I'm SO IMPRESSED by what the kids were able to achieve. Start by taking out the dozen kids who skipped the final because they had worked so hard they already had over a 100%. Those students should be enough to lift my spirits. I am grateful to them for their hard work and for making me feel like what I offered met their needs and helped them reach success. Then look at the students who said they were "terrible" at math and hated it. The kids who haven't gotten anything over a C in math since elementary school who are celebrating a B, or even an A! I'm so lucky to get to celebrate those achievements. I'm so fortunate to get to help those students! Even the students who only got Cs or Ds on the final left knowing SO MUCH MORE than they did when the year started. Those students DID make progress and grow. I'm lucky I have gotten to know each one of them.
So...what? I hope you take a moment to find a few things to be thankful for as the year ends. (I hope your gratitude is more substantial than "THANK GOODNESS IT IS THE END OF THE YEAR!") :) I also hope that if this struck you, you'll take a few valuable moments to share this with students so they, too, can find positive ways to celebrate what they have.
I can't make this post fit my normal outline. It's just too basic to include in lessons, but too cool not to post or use in some way! 
