Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic… Gratitude can be a vaccine that can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled attitude. As antitoxins prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons and diseases, thanksgiving destroys the poison of fault-finding and grumbling. When trouble has smitten us, a spirit of thanksgiving is a soothing antiseptic.”
-John Henry Jowett
Everyone needs a mentor, a person who models for you how to be a great human being. We need a person you look up to and say, “I’d like to be like her when I grow up.” As an educator, I model this behaviour in front of our 5-year old students in our Prep-ONE class on a regular basis. I always show and teach them to be thankful in life. I always demonstrate gratitude towards small and larger things in our world. Each morning, I teach my students to be thankful for our school family and the opportunities we have to learn from each other.
We celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, and this is what we are celebrating this weekend. Our children are learning what Thanksgiving is and how do we celebrate it in Canada.
We have been talking to our students and teaching them to always be thankful in life and to show gratitude to their parents for providing food, shelter, and an education. During lunch time, we talk about being thankful for food, and we make sure not to waste it because too many children in our world are hungry.
The students have been creating crafts and writing small poems expressing their thankfulness and love. One student wrote the following:
Dear Mommy and Daddy,
These aren’t just turkeys
As anyone can see
I made them with my hands,
Which are a part of me,
This comes to you with lots of love,
Especially to say,
I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!
We take this time to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the time with your family and cherish these moments with your loved ones!
We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!
To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.
More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here.
