I'm a consultant, and part of my work portfolio is visiting schools, being in residency for a few days, usually 3-4 times a year, to support specific strategic projects (often around literacy, equity, and student engagement). I definitely have hard days, and I also love my work.

Today, a teacher I don't know well introduced himself to me in the hallway. It was the end of the day, and as we walked down the quiet hallway together, he said he had a story to share. He's a guest teacher (a lovely way name for substitute teachers), and attended training on Morning Meeting last year. (One structure we're using at his school is implementing a 4-part Morning Meeting that helps explicit teach social emotional and academic skills as you build a class community.) He also teaches Sunday school, and he said a few weeks ago, he was tapped to cover someone else's class, with no curriculum or plan. So he thought "Hmmm, I think I'll try doing a Morning Meeting with them." He shared that so many of the kids said "I know this, we do it at regular school!" and were able to move right into circling up and doing a greeting, then looking to him for what they'd share and asking if he has a game to play, too. He was grateful to have this structure in his teacher toolkit, and I was grateful he took the time to share such a joyful transfer of the work we do in schools to his real world.

It was also a reminder of how we can make the world more joyful by sharing specific gratitudes. I felt energy, renewed purpose and positivity from his story, and I'm wondering who I might take a few minutes to thank - to share how their teaching and work has bolstered me. And those appreciations might be a great Slice or two, too!