Teaching Thankfulness

Our theme at church this month is generosity and thankfulness. Each Sunday (and other times while in church groups/meetings) we have been asked to write something we are thankful for on a chain link and we are making a large chain... it has been fun...something EVERYone can do....

It got me to thinking... I teach at a Junior High...special ed students to be specific...learning and behavior mostly. On Thursday I got to thinking about my students while I was at a church meeting writing on chain link...I was thinking "I wonder if my students would be able and WILLing to do the same activity...

I thought about it for awhile when I got home. I didn't want them to perceive it as a "baby" thing...as Junior Highers often do....I tried to come up with a clever poem to read to them...but I couldn't... I tried to come up with some things I am thankful for...but I just thought they would ignore me...

It was then that I spotted my Turkey.....

and thought...ah ha? I will offer them a sucker if they play along! And play along they did! I am proud of them... many came up with several things...some didn't want too...many passed up the sucker and some asked "can we do this again?" So...I will keep it up as long as they want to play! I think it is good for them!

(Submitted by Beth Johnson. Have a story about thankfulness or generosity you'd like to share? Email it to Megan at findmeg@hotmail.com)