In this FLC, faculty will explore gratitude as a practice that is often brushed off as a nicety but is in fact a necessity in education. Participants will examine how gratitude can counter burnout, strengthen relationships, and support both student learning and teacher wellness. Guided by the work of Dr. Kerry Howells and colleagues, we will consider how gratitude aligns with Universal Design for Learning and the affective networks that shape interest, effort, persistence, and self-regulation. The FLC will hold two central aims: developing a personal gratitude practice and recognizing the ripple effects of presence in the classroom. Through readings, reflection, and dialogue, participants will create space to meet challenges with awareness and re-center relationships as the foundation of educational change.

FLC Format

Each month, we will focus on a different topic relevant to teaching and learning and explore it through the lens of gratitude using resources from Grateful Living (https://grateful.org/) and the Gratitude Practices for Teachers text as our guide.  We will study and discuss the topic, reflect about it in writing, and share with the group ways that bringing gratitude into view enhances both our personal and teaching lives and, by extension, our students’ educational experience. The FLC will culminate in participants creating and presenting to the group an assignment that creates an opportunity for students to practice gratitude as a way to engage more meaningfully with the content at hand. 

Scheduled Meetings and Time Commitment

Participants in this FLC are expected to attend all monthly meetings and complete all benchmarks. There will be monthly assignments, including required readings and written reflections on that month’s topic in ongoing discussions (all posted within a CANVAS shell) that should take approximately 2-3 hours per month outside of regular meeting time.    

Meeting Dates

Monthly meetings will be held on Fridays from 9-11 on the Fort Campus, Building #23   

Friday, October 17, 2025   

Friday, November 21, 2025   

Friday, December 19, 2025   

Friday, January 16, 2026   

Friday, February 20, 2026   

Friday, March 6, 2026   

Friday, April 3, 2026   

Friday, May 1, 2026 

For more information