A lesson of gratitude learnt from children and their teachers

I have been feeling a little low about the current state of Australia and although, here in Canberra we are doing incredibly well, I feel a heaviness for the people close by who are suffering and struggling.

The mental health impacts of lockdown, particularly for those in Melbourne, are going to last a long time.

I have felt sad that I am not sure when I will see my family in person again.

They are in Sydney and in a hotspot, so for me to visit would mean isolating myself and with two young children and work, that is just too difficult.

My mother has cancer and thankfully she is doing really well.

I miss her though and while I know that if she became unwell and I needed to be with her I could, I would really just like to see her when she is active and healthy and I would like to take some of the pressure off my sister in taking her to various appointments and helping with errands.

I didn't want my column to be depressing, so I was trying to think of something lighter to share and I came across a video sent from my children's school yesterday.

One thing I have really missed this year is being able to attend school assemblies.

In year 3, the classes take turns hosting a weekly assembly and have the opportunity to share their work and do some kind of group performance.

You can imagine the joy I felt when I realised that the assembly I thought I had missed out on was posted to the school's online portal for parents to watch.

When I watched, I immediately saw a classroom full of happy, relaxed, energetic and joyful children.

In a time when parents are disconnected from school life, it was the most wonderful gift to be able to see my daughter and her classmates clearly thriving and enjoying school.

They shared some of the things they had been learning and interviewed each other on camera.

There were some very funny moments as you would expect when a group of eight and nine-year-old kids are given the opportunity to take charge of their own filming and interviewing.

READ MORE:

I felt quite emotional watching the video mostly because I experienced such a great sense of gratitude and relief.

Gratitude to the teachers and the school for ensuring my child is happy and thriving and relief that she is clearly not fazed by what is happening in the world around her.

I could see from this short video, and the way her and her peers were interacting, that she is settled and she is happy and I have the utmost respect and love for her school and teachers for making that happen.