[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”46px|||||” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]<\/p>\n
Do you keep a gratitude journal?<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Over the last few years, gratitude journals have turned into an industry, with a huge variety of custom-made journals<\/span> available on Amazon<\/span><\/a>, testimonials from<\/span> Oprah<\/span><\/a>, and guidebooks in the<\/span> self-help section<\/span><\/a>. Positive psychologists have found that when people actively seek out gratitude in their everyday lives, they are likely to become happier and healthier<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Gratitude expert <\/span>Robert Emmons<\/span><\/a> notes in his essay \u201c<\/span>Why Gratitude is Good<\/span><\/a>\u201d that gratitude has two key components. \u201cFirst,\u201d he writes, \u201cit\u2019s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we\u2019ve received.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Teachers have to model gratitude again and again for students to think more deeply in terms of why they’re grateful.<\/strong><\/p>\n Secondly, we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. \u201cWe acknowledge that other people\u2014or even higher powers, if you\u2019re of a spiritual mindset\u2014gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Studies have consistently found that grateful people report better health, more optimism and happiness, stronger relationships, more generous behavior, and many other benefits. <\/span>So what are some ways that we can encourage the positive habits of gratitude in students?<\/b><\/p>\n Educator Owen Griffith shared some tips for encouraging gratitude in a <\/span>post<\/span><\/a> for Edutopia magazine. His students use a composition book and start every day by writing five gratitudes. <\/span>Once a week, they go around the class and share a favorite gratitude. He encourages students to be descriptive and specific, which also boosts communication skills.<\/span><\/p>\n According to Vicki Zakrzewski, Education Director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of Berkeley, developing a practice of gratitude in students is dependent on modeling by their teachers. <\/span>“Generally, by about 1st or 2nd grade, students can get that,” Zakrzewski <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>. “But teachers have to model that again and again for students to think more deeply in terms of why they’re grateful for someone [or something].”<\/span><\/p>\n