In a demanding profession such as teaching, making space for gratitude is not always easy.
According to a 2024 report from the nonprofit RAND Corporation, K-12 teachers are significantly more likely than other working adults to experience poor well-being across multiple indicators, citing factors such as workload, administrative demands, and student behavior. That same year, 77% of teachers in a Pew Research Center survey said they experience frequent job stress, with 70% reporting staff shortages in their schools and 68% describing their jobs as overwhelming. The U.S. Department of Education noted in 2024 that persistent teacher shortages have intensified the strain on the profession.
“Educators spark curiosity, inspire growth, and make a lasting impact on lives every day, but ours is also an incredibly challenging profession,” Ridgefield Spanish teacher Dr. Allyson Power told participants in her breakout session on the power of gratitude at the May Teacher Leader Forum. “We’re not talking only about the increased presence of stress but also the gradual loss of joy,” she emphasized.
Power, who chairs the world language department at Ridgefield High School and understands firsthand the stress of working in a shortage area, asked herself, “How can a job be so fulfilling and depleting at the same time? And what can I do about it?” This last question underpinned her doctoral research, exploring whether and how gratitude can strengthen teacher resilience and engagement.
“I’m not talking about toxic positivity here,” she said. “Practicing gratitude does not remove challenges. But it can give you clarity and balance. Research shows that it engages the brain’s reward system, supports emotional regulation, and helps us respond more effectively to stress.”
Dr. Allyson Power’s research shows that gratitude journaling helps teachers feel happier and calmer and builds resilience.
Power worked with two dozen world language teachers across grade levels and districts throughout Connecticut, ranging from early career educators to those with 30 years’ experience. They were asked to do weekly gratitude journaling, and the majority reported maintaining or increasing their gratitude from pre- to post-assessment and consistently described feeling happier and calmer, with greater awareness of joyful moments. Even those who journaled only intermittently reported positive and lasting shifts.
Power described the 4 A’s of gratitude to encourage a more structured, intentional awareness.
- Attention – “Despite all the great things that happen during the school day,” she said, “our brains tend to focus on the not-done and critique what we could have done better. Instead, ask yourself, ‘What moments from this week am I quietly grateful for?’ Focus your energy and awareness there. If you’re looking for the good, you’ll find it.”
- Acknowledgement – Recognize how others contributed to your success. Gratitude grows when we recognize we didn’t get here alone.
- Appreciation – Savor the kindness of others.
- Action – Express gratitude by giving back.
“I was surprised by some of the findings in my study,” said Power. “First, while practicing gratitude through journaling increases positive emotions, motivation, and a sense of purpose, you don’t have to commit a lot of time to reap the benefits; positive shifts happen even with periodic journaling or just receiving reminders to acknowledge the good stuff.”
Second, gratitude doesn’t just help in the moment; it builds resilience. “It’s a protective filter: a stabilizer and recovery tool,” Power explained. A month after her study ended, 77% of participants reported continued positive effects, and 41% continued engaging in gratitude practices—not necessarily journaling but taking an extra beat to contemplate the good.
Power notes that schools can embed these practices into existing routines—faculty meetings, coaching sessions, morning announcements, activities across subjects, grade levels, and school contexts—without adding initiatives or instructional time. Hear more about her work in a 30-minute podcast episode, “Making Teaching Sustainable.”
