Time
1-2 minutes
Frequency
Weekly / Daily
Material
Quotes
Purpose
To model for students ways to begin the day with a positive focus and provide a boost when they arrive at school, encouraging them to have a good and positive day
- Provide context for the practice (see “Evidence” section).
- Begin the day by providing a quote to positively inspire students that is connected to a weekly or monthly theme. You could also use quotes that reflect cultural diversity.
- As a class, discuss the positive statement that was shared and what students and staff find inspiring or positive about it.
- Ask students to bring additional quotes to class that are meaningful to them.
- Make a habit of beginning the week/day with quotes students wish to share.
- After a while, have students reflect on which quote is impactful for them.
Having a positive outlook and sharing positive messages can lead to experiencing positive emotions which is a marker of optimal well-being (Fredrickson, 2004). The personal resources accrued during states of positive emotions are durable which means they outlast the transient emotional states that led to their acquisition; therefore, when a person experiences positive emotion, they increase their personal resources which can be drawn on in subsequent moments and in different emotional states (Fredrickson, 2004). Experiencing positive emotions can help people to become more creative, knowledgeable, resilient, socially integrated and healthy individuals. Overall, positive emotions broaden thought–action repertoires, undo lingering negative emotions, and fuel psychological resiliency and well-being (Fredrickson, 2004). Fredrickson (2004) supports cultivating positive emotions within our lives, not just because doing so makes us feel good in the moment, but also because doing so transforms people for the better and sets them on paths toward flourishing and healthy longevity.
Fredrickson B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1378. doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1512
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