Students in New Bedford share reasons to be thankful

First-graders at Alma del Mar Charter School in New Bedford were asked what they are thankful for. Here are their responses:

What am I grateful for? Friendships, family, health … and a few days off. Three students at Global Learning Charter Public School share their essays below on being grateful.

By Rosa Hernandez:

I’m very grateful this year for a lot of things, primarily for being alive. Health is one of my biggest blessings and something to be grateful for. Not everyone has stable health, some people are in hospitals fighting for their lives. Thankfully, my loved ones are healthy and alive, some people can’t say the same. I’m very grateful for friends and family, especially for my mom and my first nephew, Diego. He has brought light into my life; seriously, the most adorable thing in my life. Finally, I’m very thankful for my current life, not just for residing in the U.S., but for thriving in a different country. Foreigners, especially children, risk their lives to have a better future for themselves in other countries. I’m very thankful to God, the one guiding me in this journey.

Rosa Hernandez is a student in grade 10 at Global Learning Charter Public School.

By Collin Cooper:

I am grateful for the ability to write. Without writing, thinking becomes incredibly difficult, and thinking is one of the most important aspects of life, so being able to think really makes things easier for yourself, and people should form habits of writing outside of the grade, because in reality, students should be taught that writing is not just simply “for the grade,” it is a key component to being able to make crucial decisions while thinking, because thinking is hard.

I am grateful for the friends I have made along the way. Friends that will stick through anything with you and can forgive you for mistakes you’ve made in the past are crucial to your life, because without them, you’d simply go insane. Distancing yourself from people would just cause you to lose your mind, and the same can be said for a relationship, as we as humans are extremely physical creatures, physically affectionate that is, and it’s proven that if a child is left without a parental figure after birth, it will die. The same can’t exactly be said for friends in particular, but without the help of socializing with friends, you’ll never be able to socialize and eventually you will grow to become insanely antisocial, meaning you are unable to have proper conversations with anyone.

I am grateful for the fact that I can even perceive failure and use it as a positive instead of a negative. Everything you learn comes from failures and mistakes, so being able to take something from failure can seriously help us become better people. 

Collin Cooper is a student in grade 12 at Global Learning Charter Public School.

By Jocelyn Fernandes:

I am thankful for the holiday break we’re getting this week. It’ll give some time for me to work on my POL (Presentation of Learning project), which is definitely needed. I’ll also be able to just relax and do fun activities like drawing or playing online games. I’m hoping my me-time won’t get interrupted by family members visiting. My family doesn’t celebrate holidays together since my mom is religious. So, there probably won’t be many Thanksgiving-themed things I’ll be doing.

I’m also thankful for my friend. They’ve been going through a rough time, but I’m glad they are doing better now. Recently, they lost their home due to money issues. That resulted in my friend and their mom being separated into the system. They’re living with a new foster family. Luckily, my friend and their mom aren’t on the streets. But, at the same time, they’ve had to adjust to a new home with random strangers in a new location. Hopefully, I’ll get to spend some time with them during the break.

Lastly, I am thankful for my friends at school. At the beginning of the year, I didn’t have many people to talk to during times like mask breaks or breakfast/lunch. As a result, I wasn’t able to enjoy those breaks during the day. Now, I have a group of people who sit with me at breakfast/lunch and a few of them come up to me and chat during mask breaks. It’s nice to finally not feel anxious when it’s time to go outside or eat. The people at the table are really nice and inclusive to me so it’s always a great time hanging around them.

Jocelyn Fernandes is a student in grade 10 at Global Learning Charter Public School.

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