#thankfulteacher @lessonplanet - Join the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge!

Happy March! With the school year winding down and state testing lurking around the corner, March is often a stressful month for educators. It’s in times like these that we forget what makes our profession so special, be it the fact that we get to bring learning to life, challenge learners to overcome obstacles and hardships, or help foster a sense of community among our classes. Starting March 3^rd, challenge yourself and our community of educators to practice gratitude for the little and the big reasons we became, and remain, educators!

Why Should I Participate?

If there’s one thing that teachers lack, it’s spare time. As soon as we cross off the final task on a long to-do list, a new list instantaneously pops up. However, it’s important for us to occasionally press pause and reflect. Teaching can be tough, and sometimes it’s hard to remember all of the reasons we’re here, but positive thinking goes a long way. Reconnect with your vision by spending just a few moments at the end of each day by asking yourself, “Why am I grateful to be in education?” Our kids are so lucky to have us; let’s remember why we’re so lucky to have them.

How To Participate in the 30-Day Challenge

Each day from March 3^rd to April 2^nd, share what you’re grateful for by posting a story, an image, a quote, or even a video on social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Simply attach the post with the hashtag, #thankfulteacher, and the tag @lessonplanet, to share your gratitude with the Lesson Planet community. With these tags, your positive thinking and appreciation will spread (and hopefully inspire!) teachers around the world during this tough month. At the end of each week, our team of teachers will look through your posts and choose a favorite submission to highlight each Sunday on our Facebook page.

Inspire others to join in by inviting your school, its educators, and even its school leaders to pass on the reasons why they love their life’s work. And, if a post resonates with you, share it with your kids, their parents, and your coworkers. Let the positivity spread, and help others to remember to be grateful!

Things to Consider

To have a successful challenge, we ask that our participants focus on the following:

• Aim for one post each day throughout the challenge to spread positivity and gratitude.
• Keep these posts appropriate and related to education. (Think, could I share this with my students?)
• Be careful when posting pictures or videos. (Do you have a parent-signed release form to capture and distribute images in which your pupils can be identified?)
• Be creative and post original content.

And on that note, thanks to each and every one of you who spend countless hours prepping engaging, rigorous lessons, who push our kids to be good people, and who help build the sense of community we have here at Lesson Planet. We are excited to start this challenge!