180 Days of Gratitude

I've heard alot of people say "Kids these days think they are entitled to everything". I'm sure you've heard it and if you're like me, you've probably said it a time or ten lol. Occassionally, it is the truth. There is indeed this sense of entitlement amongst humans in general. I was raised by a incredibly amazing single mother. My sister and I are 14 years apart, my brother and I are 9 years apart. So as you can imagine, I am a little bit spoiled. (read alot of bit in place of little bit) In my family though; I am not spoiled in a materialistic way. I was raised and reminded DAILY to be thankful for what I have and not just be thankful but to express my gratitude. The church I went to when I was in college; the Pastor always said it this way: "It could always be the other way." When she said "it". She meant life, work, health, finances, friendships, just whatever your "it" is/was. I do my absolute best to provide the very best learning experience for Mrs. Parker's Professors. I am a firm believer that it takes a village. The village surrounding my professors is exemplary. There are opportunities that are afforded to the professors simply for being their amazing selves. All of these opportunities are truly extraordinary. So, it is easy for them to forget humility and gratitude. One of my friends, @msadamsteaches on instagram, created a "180 days of gratitude" challenge. I borrowed it from her and utilize it in my learning community to help my professors remember all the things we must be thankful for on a DAILY basis. Kinda like how we should celebrate being thankful everyday not just at thanksgiving type deal. So; I made it out of a door. In the middle of the door is the "180 Days of Gratitude". When a professor finds something to be thankful or grateful for; they grab an index card. On the side with the lines, we write what we are thankful for. On the other side, we draw a picture describing what we wrote. This also gives us more practice with writing in and out of context. It is now a constant reminder for us to flashback on. This door is also the door to the classroom bathroom and sink, so everytime they go to the bathroom or to the sink; they can be reminded of the little things. It also is a heart warmer for me that maybe I am not doing so bad after all and seeing what they like the most. Am I saying that this solves all our non humble stuff; absolutely not. However; I am also really not a fan of complaining AT ALL. Like it truly truly bothers me. So I can't complain about a problem and not at least do my best to do something about it. We all have so much to be thankful for and again; things could truly be the other way. It is my duty to pass this mindset onto my professors, so that they might do the same. P.S. That door is green and orange, shoutout to all those F.A.M.U. Rattlers :-)