Gratitude and 4th Grade

I know I wrote this at the end of last summer, but the wishes and sentiments still apply...

Welcome new 4th graders and families!

Another summer is winding down and soon enough you'll be walking into Reynolds ready to start a new year with new friends and a new teacher. While many of you are excited and ready, I also know the anxiety and concerns that can creep up inside our minds and hearts. Don't worry, I go through similar emotions!

Perhaps a little trick I used this summer will help you as the last full week of vacation stumbles upon us. Each day, I practiced gratitude. No matter how great or how ordinary the day was, I took time to think about what I was grateful for and I did my best to show it. Whether it was my daughter offering to help around the house, my son handing out hugs, the kind words of a friend or the breathtaking view from the bottom of Niagara Falls. Every day gave me something happy and positive to focus on.

And so, my newest 4th grade family, as I enter my last week of vacation along with you, I'm here to say that no matter how nervous I am to meet you, despite how anxious I get about being the best teacher I can be for you, I am grateful for the fresh start I have with YOU. I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with another group of children who will inevitably change my life in some wonderful way. Enjoy each day this week...I'll see you soon!

Love,
Ms. T