This article was written by Janene Ritchie, former Content Manager for The Positivity Project (P2), early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as partner schools across the country moved to distance learning. Before joining P2, Janene spent 10 years in outdoor and environmental education, including three as director of a residential environmental learning center.
We know that character strengths and positive relationships aren’t about ignoring the negative. If we lean into strengths such as perspective, perseverance, and gratitude, they help us overcome life’s inevitable adversities. And adversity is exactly what we are all facing now during the COVID-19 crisis.
Even during a pandemic, our students and educators are still leaning into the 24 character strengths for fortitude and encouragement.
Onondaga Central Schools in Nedro, NY harnessed the character strengths of creativity and optimism earlier this month by sharing their love for students in a touching video that made the local news:
We’re grateful for the countless P2 Partner Schools coming together to exemplify the #OtherPeopleMatter mindset. They’re helping to ensure their students feel loved, safe, and supported with basic necessities. We see teachers and administrators delivering meals, setting up virtual classrooms, and checking in on their P2 families. Along with essential workers in our hospitals; emergency response; law enforcement; and frontline grocery stores across the country, it’s clear now that our educators are also heroes among us.
If you have a story to share with us about how the P2 is helping you, your school, class, or community to cope through this COVID-19 pandemic, share it with us on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) using the #P2InTheNews and #OtherPeopleMatter hashtags!
Janene Ritchie
Janene Ritchie is the Content Manager for The Positivity Project. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology from Ohio State University, and dual Masters in Environmental Education and Outdoor Leadership from Ohio University. She spent 10 years in the outdoor and environmental education field, including 3 years as the director of a residential environmental learning center that used outdoor experience to teach a rigorous science curriculum. Janene is also a certified Forest Therapy Guide and Trail Certification consultant. She lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband and two children, where they enjoy exploring the mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest.
