{"id":586,"date":"2020-03-01T15:44:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T20:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/edc340-sp20\/?p=586"},"modified":"2020-03-01T15:44:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-01T20:44:52","slug":"the-joy-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/edc340-sp20\/uncategorized\/the-joy-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joy Mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unmistakably, the most wonderful moments in my education work have been the ones that feel <\/span>warm<\/span><\/i>. As I recently agonized over what to write in an application to graduate study in education, I kept thinking about that feeling- that warmth. What is it about those moments with students that makes everyone feel <\/span>so good<\/span><\/i>? When, for example, a student working on a workbook problem says, \u201cWhy in the world does this guy need so many dog biscuits? He\u2019s just <\/span>wasting <\/span><\/i>his <\/span>money<\/span><\/i>!\u201d and everyone, myself included, laughs aloud? When second graders, on their way to the ancient world gallery to study ancient Egyptian art, pause at the top of the stairs so that I can refill their imaginary canteens? When, while speaking Spanish with a number of my students, we giggle over my mistakes? I put a little more thought into it. I didn\u2019t realize exactly what it was until a training at the Smith College Museum of Art: my boss asked us how we can make our museum a joyful place to be, and that\u2019s when it bowled me over. That\u2019s it. <\/span>Joy<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joy<\/span> has been an education buzzword for quite a while, but putting it into practice has been tough. Students in the United States are increasingly unhappy. A<\/span> study published by Yale University<\/span><\/a> in January 2020 reports that, in a survey of 21,678 high schoolers from across the United States, just under 75% of students\u2019 self-reported feelings about school were negative. Negative feelings are just the tip of the iceberg, though; <\/span>statistics have shown<\/span><\/a> that the mental health of young people has been in critical decline throughout the last decade. The percentage of youth ages 12-17 who reported a major depressive episode within the last year increased from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent between 2005 and 2017. The trend worsens today. Joy no longer stands as a mere buzzword. Now, more than ever, classroom joy is a mandate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joy is defined as \u201cthe emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by prospect of possessing what one desires.\u201d It\u2019s unmistakably bigger than just happiness and fun: joy surpasses these as an all-encompassing term for the way people feel when they are cared for. We\u2019ve known for nearly a century that human beings are better motivated when these basic needs are met. Abraham Maslow\u2019s hierarchy, a framework for organizing human beings\u2019 basic needs, was first published in 1943; it argues that human beings cannot reach self-actualization (the desire to be the best version of oneself: a good way to frame students\u2019 desire to learn) until their basic physiological, safety, belonging, and esteem needs are met.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The way our system is currently structured encourages students to skip over critical needs in favor of making the grade. Instead of chasing positive relationships, personal interests, and high self-esteem, students are pressured to outperform on standardized tests and compete for college admissions. <\/span>\u201cTesting the Joy Out of Learning,\u201d<\/span><\/a> an article from <\/span>Educational Leadership <\/span><\/i>by Sharon Nichols and David Berliner, tells us that \u201cno reliable increases in student scores [had] occurred, <\/span>nor [had] achievement gaps between students of higher and lower socioeconomic classes narrowed\u201d during the five years after the enactment of No Child Left Behind. The act exposed US students to an \u201cunprecedented number of tests.\u201d<\/span> The qualitative results are similar: \u201c<\/span>The tests undermine teacher-student relationships, lead to a narrowing of the curriculum, demoralize teachers, and bore students.\u201d <\/span>Students\u2019 critical needs- the roots of their joy- fall by the wayside. The effects are clearly catastrophic.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the face of systematic misunderstanding, it can seem like a daunting task to bring joy into the educational setting. Educators aren\u2019t powerless, though. We can adhere to the joy mandate in our own local settings, meeting our students\u2019 basic needs in a powerful way. What can you do to strategically bring joy into your students\u2019 space?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Look back to the definition of joy for a clue: we can refocus on students\u2019 well-being, personal desires, and academic success. Nancy Barile describes her top ten strategies in an <\/span>article for Hey Teach!<\/span><\/a>. Students need time to recharge (\u201cbrain breaks\u201d) in between periods of instruction. They must feel like they belong: the teacher must strive to know their students, whether by instituting a morning greeting, chatting during snack, or simply being more mindful about \u201ccultivating personal connections.\u201d Find a way to drive the class toward a common goal, encouraging students to work together as collaborators on a \u201cclassroom dream.\u201d Allow students to feel as though they possess personal autonomy by striving for choice throughout the day. Make learning useful and provable by encouraging students to justify their answers and think critically about their studies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another way to bring joy to students is to practice one\u2019s own joy as a teacher, both in and outside the classroom. <\/span>In an article<\/span><\/a> about fostering creativity in the classroom, Lauren Davis describes how \u201cteachers who can model creative ways of thinking, playfully engage with content, and express their ideas, will beget creative students.\u201d Classroom joy is much the same: teachers who foster joy for themselves will share it with students, sometimes even without thinking. Davis continues to write that a \u201cpositive state of mind will sustain you, and spread to your students.\u201d Good old-fashioned joy (making students feel safe, cared for, and valued, as well as just having <\/span>fun<\/span><\/i>) is really, truly infectious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides its value as an antidote to students\u2019 negative experiences in the classroom, though, joy can help teachers as they work to create equitable classroom spaces. Beverly Tatum defines a framework for classroom equity in her book <\/span>Can We Talk About Race?, <\/span><\/i>outlining a set of \u2018ABC\u2019s\u2019: affirm identity, build community, cultivate leadership. Tatum\u2019s framework and the definition of joy contain a lot of valuable overlap. Students of diverse backgrounds deserve to be welcomed and uplifted in the classrooms they inhabit; in this way, joy and justice go hand in hand. Teachers who advocate for equity are the \u201cfirst responders\u201d to the joy mandate. In her <\/span>article \u201cTeaching for Joy and Justice,\u201d<\/span><\/a> Linda Christensen explains that \u201cteaching for joy and justice also means locating the curriculum in students\u2019 lives. Many of my students experience injustice\u2026 often my students and their families are targeted because of their race or language or immigration status. Putting students\u2019 lives at the center of the curriculum\u2026 tells them they matter \u2014 their lives, their ancestors\u2019 lives are important. When we create writing assignments that call students\u2019 memories into the classroom, we honor their heritage and their stories as worthy of study.\u201d Teachers honor students when they create classroom environments that are both joyful and just, each strengthening the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a moment to consider the moments in your classroom that have made you feel warm. That\u2019s the joy! Hold onto it. Next time your students are giggling, find a way to giggle with them. Take a few minutes to play. Have a spontaneous class outside. Learn something new about one of your students. You\u2019ll find a lot of joy therein, so chase it: you and your students both desperately need it, and soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Author<\/span><\/p>\n

Libby Keller is a senior at Smith College studying Education and Child Study and Art History. She will graduate in May 2020 and pursue a career in arts education, ever cherishing the joy of blending education and the arts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/p>\n

Blad, E. (2019, March 20). Schools Grapple With Student Depression as Data Show Problem Worsening\u2014Education Week. <\/span>Education Week<\/span><\/i>.<\/span> https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2019\/03\/14\/schools-grapple-with-student-depression-as-data.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Building a Joyful Classroom: Top 10 Strategies Based on Education in Finland<\/span><\/i>. (2019, December 24). Hey Teach!<\/span> https:\/\/www.wgu.edu\/heyteach\/article\/building-joyful-classroom-top-10-strategies-based-education-finland1812.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Chirstensen, Linda. (n.d.). <\/span>Teaching for Joy and Justice: Introduction<\/span><\/i>. Rethinking Schools. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from<\/span> http:\/\/rethinkingschools.aidcvt.com\/publication\/tfjj\/tfjj_intro.shtml<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Davis, L. C. (2018, December 17). Creative Teaching and Teaching Creativity: How to Foster Creativity in the Classroom. <\/span>Psych Learning Curve<\/span><\/i>.<\/span> http:\/\/psychlearningcurve.org\/creative-teaching-and-teaching-creativity-how-to-foster-creativity-in-the-classroom\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Joy | Definition of Joy by Merriam-Webster<\/span><\/i>. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2020, from<\/span> https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/joy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Moeller, J., Brackett, M. A., Ivcevic, Z., & White, A. E. (2020). High school students\u2019 feelings: Discoveries from a large national survey and an experience sampling study. <\/span>Learning and Instruction<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>66<\/span><\/i>, 101301.<\/span> https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.learninstruc.2019.101301<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Nichols, Sharon L.; Berliner, David C. (2008). Testing the Joy Out of Learning\u2014Educational Leadership. <\/span>Educational Leadership<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>65<\/span><\/i>(6).<\/span> http:\/\/www.ascd.org\/publications\/educational-leadership\/mar08\/vol65\/num06\/Testing-the-Joy-Out-of-Learning.aspx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unmistakably, the most wonderful moments in my education work have been the ones that feel warm. As I recently agonized over what to write in…<\/p>\n

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