This month, King’s is focusing on gratitude. Why don’t I appreciate what I have? is one of the most frequently Googled questions and understandably, a very important one. With an initiative called ‘Nice November’ the pupils are aiming to be more grateful, and therefore, more satisfied with their lives by keeping a daily diary of positive experiences.

It would be useful if they were encouraged to think about good things that have happened in their day at home. The concept was introduced in Assembly: it was made clear that modern consumerism is not a long term solution to happiness. Material goods like a new car or house, or goals that we want to achieve, like a higher status job or sporting achievement, give us only short term pleasure until after a few months, we are back on that emotional treadmill with a new material desire or work goal. This might be stating the obvious and this happiness theory is not new. St Augustine in the 4^th century stated; ‘Desire has no rest’.

The pupils were told there are 7 ways of achieving a more long lasting sense of satisfaction with less of a focus on material ‘hits’ and more focus on the following:

• Doing regular exercise
• Spending time with family and friends
• Having a reasonable income
• Spending that money on adventure and travel
• Helping others through volunteering
• Focusing on the pleasures of the here and now
• Gratitude - being grateful for what we have

King’s is creating time to highlight and educate pupils on the importance of looking after ourselves, not neglecting any of the above points. This month we are focusing on the last point - gratitude - because it reminds us of what is good in our lives.

How will this work?

In daily tutor groups, pupils will think about what has been positive about their day and write it in their Nice November diaries. This can be anything that has gone well, a moment of fun, anything they are proud of or perhaps someone has been kind. Even resolving a difficulty is positive. These things do not have to be big. By writing down one event, it enables pupils to reflect and embed that positivity. From trials, scientists have shown this leads to a more optimistic outlook and people felt better about their lives. When compared with a trial group who did not keep a gratitude diary, they also visited the doctor less.

At the end of the month, I will be interviewing a range of pupils to ask if this initiative has made any difference to their outlook. If it has made a positive impression, there is no need to finish the journals at the end of the month!

Alison Grant - Deputy Head