Gratitude Jar

After a shocking lesson, I asked each student at n my year 9 class to write down one thing they like about class, something they don't like and a change they would like to see. The flood gates open and they added plenty if insight. It eas hard to read at times but when I stepped back I identified some common themes;

1. They wanted to feel part of a team.
2. They wanted the class to be quieter.
3. They needed to have work set at their level.

After that day I introduced the gratitude jar. They idea is to write down something you are grateful for and place it in the jar. I then read out them from time to time. I wanted to build empathy and connection between the members of the class.  It is also important that each student can find something positive in their life and then that feeling can be brought into the class.