Back to School Gratitude

Owen Griffith, with Bryan Sellers

For many teachers, it’s a struggle to transition from summer vacation mode to teaching mode. The beginning of the school year is so full of things to do and can be overwhelming. Educators often make the mistake of complaining about the start of school and focus on all the negative aspects of the job.

The Teachers Lounge recently interviewed Owen Griffith about how educators might have a more thankful mindset about their jobs and life. Owen is not only a classroom teacher but also a public speaker, blog writer, and published author. His new book Gratitude: A Way of Teaching will help many discouraged teachers and how they conduct their classrooms. This valuable book will give educators solution-based methods and research-based resources to improve classroom culture, as well as enabling schools to elevate students’ engagement and academic achievement. Owen’s book is currently available at Amazon and was a Top Ten Best Seller in April, 2016

In the interview above, Bryan and Owen discuss some of the following topics:

What is gratitude and how is it different from positive thinking? What research did you find that shows having a grateful mindset does make a positive difference in our school environment?
How can being grateful help us with our lives in and out of the classroom?
If having a grateful mindset helps us improve our lives, why do we sometimes lean towards the dark side of complaining and being cynical?
How can a gratitude mindset helps us when we are experiencing the rough storms of life, especially in less than ideal school environments?
Teaching can be a very discouraging field. What are some strategies that can help us prevent gratitude burnout? How do we teach our students to be more grateful?

This interview is reposted with kind permission of the The Teachers Lounge. You can contact Owen at [email protected].