Achieve Success and Happiness with Positive Actions

Happiness and success are two things that many people strive for. While the road to achieving these goals may vary, one common denominator is the importance of positive actions. When individuals engage in positive actions, they feel good about themselves, their actions, and how they treat others.

This lesson begins with the teacher writing the words "Happiness" and “Success” on the board and their definitions. Grade 1 students recite these together several times. Then, they read a poem titled “Up and Down,” which describes the contrasting emotions of feeling down and feeling up.

When the speaker in the poem is feeling down, the weather is gray and dreary, their friends are not fun, and they feel isolated from the world. The speaker personifies their negative thoughts as their enemy, suggesting their mood is self-created.

In contrast, when the speaker is feeling up, the world seems bright and full of possibilities. They imagine themselves as an eagle soaring high above, able to see everything clearly and free from the constraints of the world below. Their friends are happy and inviting, and the speaker feels connected to them and the world around them. In this state, the speaker is their own good friend, able to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of life.

Overall, the poem explores the ups and downs of human emotions and how they can shape one’s experiences and perceptions of the world. It emphasizes the importance of cultivating a positive relationship with oneself, even in difficult times, to find happiness and meaning in life.

To wrap up the lesson, the students are encouraged to think of ways to feel happier and laugh more. As the students leave the classroom, they are reminded that it's much better to feel up inside than down inside.