the gratitude project (2025).

Eight years ago now, during Thanksgiving week, I began assigning what I lovingly call “The Gratitude Project.” Essentially, I forced my students–and myself–to reflect on the Good in our lives in the midst of all of the Bad.

And it quickly became one of my favorite activities of the year.

We always kick off this mini-unit by letting Kid President inspire us, and then at home, we explore several “books” from the interactive Gratitude Library choice board I curated (below.) (Hover over a title to do some light “reading” of your own.)

Then in class, we spend a few minutes sharing our takeaways from the various resources we explored. All of this is the primer for the physical part of the project: a community slide deck that houses at least five things for which each of us is thankful this year. The contributions range from lighthearted to heartfelt, but all reflect the diverse mix of Grateful Thinkers in Room 1227.

Before students get down to work, they get inspired by some former students who gave me permission to showcase their work, and I share my own example as well (below).

Take a look below to see what this year’s fabulous adolescents shared, corralled by class period. (Click on the slide deck to advance through the slides.)

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!