Be Thankful

This week, we take some time to pause and be grateful for the many blessings we have. This is one of the few American holidays we celebrate as a school. We feel it is worthwhile, as the world we live in continues to be driven by consumerism and materialism. It’s important to take a moment to be grateful for the people and things that are truly important in our lives.

As I was trying to explain the concept of being thankful to my middle school SAT group, we came to the conclusion that thankfulness is meant to be shared. If you are thankful for someone, you should tell them. We also want to thank God for the many blessings He has given us, both as individuals and as a school community. I want to put that thought into practice by publicly announcing some of the things for which I am thankful this year. This list is definitely not exhaustive, but I’m trying to keep within my allotted word count for this article. (And yes, I’m grateful for the Dalat News editors too!)

I’m thankful to God for His many years of blessing on Dalat International School. We could not have continued to thrive through three countries, two wars, a tsunami, and a pandemic without God’s favor. God has been so faithful to protect and provide for us, and we know that He will continue to do so. God sends us the right teachers and students year after year.

I’m thankful to the staff at Dalat. Their passion for serving families is astounding and humbling. Teachers and other staff members are always trying to improve in what they do. They want their best for every single student every day. They lose sleep at night trying to come up with new ways to teach their students. They go home each day exhausted after a job well done and return to do it all over again the next day.

I’m thankful for Dalat parents. You entrust your kids to us every day, and we don’t take that lightly. You support and encourage us again and again. I’m particularly grateful for the amazing lunch provided by the PTO and other parents last week! You volunteer to coach, sub, mentor, and lead small groups. We could not do this without you!

I’m thankful for Dalat students. Students here are unique and special. Most of the time, they are glad to be part of this community and extremely enthusiastic about learning. Students value relationships with one another and with adults. It’s a rare and special thing to have the opportunity, as head of school, to still be directly involved with so many students.

Now it’s your turn! What are you thankful for? Take some time to tell people what you appreciate about them.