My Gratitude List
1. GOD
2. My parents
3. My siblings
4. My niece
5. Church
6. Searingtown
7. Colleagues
8. Heat
9. Chocolate
10. Coke-Cola in a frosted glass
11. Pasta a la vodka
12. Sunday School
13. Nail extensions
14. Gift of Travel
15. My salary
16. My Tempur-Pedic mattress
17. Thursday nights
18. Summer days
19. Warm blankets
20. Worn out Bibles
21. Facials
22. Going out to dinner
23. Good literature
24. Driving
25. XM Radio
26. Baking
27. Avocadoes
28. GPS
29. Google
The above is an activity you should try (at least once a year). It is called a Gratitude List, an idea that I came across while reading A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. In short, the activity ‘forces’ us (in a good way!) to write down a list of things we are grateful for. I chose 29 random things, and tried not to put too much thought and list them ‘off the cuff’ (please do not judge me by only the few things that I thought of quickly---especially #13!). The number of things represent my age---typical of the birthday gratitude list, where you start a new list on your birthday according to the age you are turning.
What is the meaning of this?
Meaning. This is a term that pops up all too often into my brain and makes me feel every emotion out there! When I think about work and my ‘purpose’, I am at peace. When I think about church and my ‘purpose’, I am angry. When I think about my life and the ‘purpose’ behind it, I am confused!
Here’s what I see: we are ALL searching for meaning in our lives. Daniel Pink refers to ‘meaning’ as one of the six senses that ultimately guides our lives and shapes our world. We currently live in an environment of ‘…breathtaking material plenty…”. As I look at the above gratitude list, I realize that around 16 of the 29 on my list have to do with a material thing. Am I too materialistic? (I realize I might be going off on a tangent here, but it’s easier than having to think about the purpose of my existence!)
Ok…back to the meaning of my life. And yours. For those of you who are teachers (like myself), we are constantly struggling with this! We can’t just see our career as a job, it’s a vocation! We’re meant to do this. We have a purpose; one that must be revaluated twice a year; once in August as we get ready for a new school year and once again in June when we have to hand in our End-of-the-Year Evaluations.
“What’s the point of this?” I’m sure you’ve had a student in your career say this to you, usually during math instruction (probably during some crazy word problem that you can’t answer yourself!). Conveying meaning to our students should be our daily job. This will bring purpose to your own teaching. Students need to understand there is a purpose behind every math lesson, every war they learn about in SS, and every vocabulary word they have to define in Reading. This can only truly happen if you believe in the purpose in your teaching yourself. Of course, there will be those lessons in science or math that make you wonder why you are uttering nonsense to your students, but this is usually a rare occurrence. If children find meaning to what they are doing at an early age, they will continue to search for purpose as adults.
I enjoy knowing that I serve a purpose as a teacher. That my daily routine is going towards the greater good. But what about the rest of my life?
Daniel Pink has us realize that meaning is slowly creeping into every part of our being: from the rise of yoga classes to the selling of millions of copies of A Purpose Driven Life to the Amma who goes around sharing her famous hugs. Have people always been so reflective of themselves? How do we know when to stop searching? Or is it one that’s never supposed to stop?
I realize that unconsciously, I’ve been finding meaning all along! Meaning is what has kept me going, making sure that everything I put my hands on was for the good of the world. I still have a lot of work to do, and I for sure am still seeking for the purpose of my own life, but I am at peace knowing that essentially, there is meaning behind it all. Even this entry.
3 comments:
It’s funny because with discussions of curriculum and differentiation and technology, we often overlook the meaning. The question of why we are doing what we’re doing, and we forget the importance of helping our students understand the meaning behind what they’re doing.
I especially like the idea of helping students find their purpose. In my own blog I reflected on how we need to help students find their passions. It’s funny how our conversations overlap. We’re often wondering about the same things and searching for the same answers. I usually come up empty, and so do my students, but I’m okay with that. If they can understand the search is in itself a purpose, then they’re on the right track.
Thanks Amy for the math connection in your blog! I am constantly trying to make sure I answer the question of when are we going to need to know this. Sometimes it takes a lot of creativity, but I agree that it is our job. It's not always easy and we aren't always the most effective, but I enjoy the challenge and those light bulb moments we get to witness.
There are so many levels and layers of meaning, personally, professionally, academically, etc.
I'm surprised that your list was so short. As it relates to our profession, I must say that meaning is embedded, not only in the content of what we teach, but within in each student and our interactions with them, such that meaning is complicated and sometimes not immediately achieved or determined. That's what makes it frustrating at times, but we are constantly in pursuit of meaning and purpose. That is what makes us unique as human beings.
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