The Art of Happiness & Storytelling
By: Jaclyn Servillo
Joy in Learning
When you hear the word, school what do you think of? Many students, especially high school students may describe “school” as boring or too much work. Creating joy and purpose in the classroom is essential to learning well. As humans I think we all want to have fun and when we are experiencing joy we want to continue to experience that emotion. Learning can be fun and enjoyable, but ultimately I do think that relies on what the teacher plans and the types of activities they create. Even as a high school teacher, I am always looking for ways to make my lessons fun and engaging. I want my students to feel joy walking into my classroom, and I never want to be that class that most students hate going too.
Importance of Student Relationships
It is so important to know your students and be perceptive enough to know when students are overwhelmed or stressed.
For example, in Katie Cunningham's book Start with Joy, she states, “Missy and Ted recognize
that teaching and learning must be driven by joy and purpose. They respond intentionally when learning
feels dispirited or they see their class becoming overly stressed.
And they recognize that the process of meeting literacy goals must also be a process that
intentionally supports student happiness” (Cunningham 5-6). I couldn’t agree
more with the importance of knowing your students and being aware enough of their emotions and feelings.
I have had direct experience with this and can definitely see the difference between having a good lesson
where students are happy, energetic and engaged vs. having a lesson where nobody is participating
and seems very overly stressed which leads to disengaged students. This is where flexibility as a teacher
is incredibly important because you may change your lessons or activities on the spot due to
emotions that your students are exhibiting.
Strategies that Support Happiness in the Classroom
I think as educators we all share the common belief that we want our students to feel happiness and want to be in our classrooms. So what are some ways to make our students feel important and create happiness?
Invitation Approach
Think about when you receive an invitation to a wedding or a birthday party, how do you feel?
Most of us would probably feel happy and honored to have been invited. We usually feel that we
were important enough to receive the invitation in the first place. Well if we could somehow
incorporate this concept into the classroom, it could be very effective because an invitation is not something
that is forced or even viewed as a requirement. This approach could help students take ownership of their
own learning.
Happiness List
Katie Cunningham’s book, Start with Joy explains this technique that can be used not only
for yourself but for your classroom as well. Essentially this can be completed in a notebook or on a google
document where you create a list of everything that makes you happy. Katie describes this as a way
to reconfirm your happiness and your worth in life. This is clearly something that can be built into your
classroom routine and students can always add to their list throughout the week if they notice things that are
making them happy. Additionally, this is also a good reminder for all of us because sometimes I think many
of us get wrapped up in the negativity in our life and it is good to think about all the things in your life that
make you happy. I decided to try this activity myself and so you can see an example of my list below.
When I think of what makes me happy:
Playing with my cat named Pounce
Sitting on the beach and basking in the sun
Hearing someone play the piano
Hearing past voicemails of my mother’s voice
The sound of laughter
Watching a show with my boyfriend while we cuddle together on the couch
Going for a walk around our condo complex and experiencing nature by the pond
Listening to music
The smell of a home cooked meal
Traveling to different places
Flight or Fight Response
I am sure we are all familiar with the flight vs. fight response where we go into survival mode
when we feel afraid or threatened by something. There are these two types of responses where you may
fight back or completely run away from the situation. So how does this connect to the classroom and this
idea of happiness? Well even if you think about your past experiences as a student in the classroom and
when you get confronted with a difficult task many students may enter this flight or fight response concept.
Well what is the opposite of this concept? What happens when students are experiencing more positive
emotions on a consistent basis? I would argue that if you are experiencing joy and happiness you are more
likely to be open to new ideas and more willing to be vulnerable.
Co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute Dr. David Rock says this:
"Engagement is a state of being willing to do difficult things, to take risks, to think deeply about issues
and develop new solutions. ...Interest, happiness, joy, and desire are approach emotions. This state is one
of increased dopamine levels, important for interest and learning." (Edutopia)
Dr.David Rocks research clearly explains the necessity for creating joy and happiness in the classroom. So this is why it is so important to create a classroom environment that allows for these opportunities of vulnerability and inquiry (Rebecca Alber). Establishing a safe place and building a strong classroom community will only benefit all the students in the room and hopefully help to create joy within learning.
The Impact of Life Stories
“When we design for happiness, we invite students to realize that their life story is constantly under
revision” (Cunningham)
Just like when you watch a movie or show you may have feelings of wanting to lead similar lives to
the characters that are in the movie or show. The same concept applies to the stories that we read.
These stories can model for us the type of life we may want to live and the experiences we may wish to
have. Vital skills can be taught through stories such as the skill of being able to persevere through
challenges. At some point in all of our lives we will face numerous challenges where some may be
more difficult than others. Stories that are effective are ones that are clearly engaging and include hooks
that make you want to turn the page. A story that continually increases the tension will definitely keep
your attention. I think Paul Zak states this perfectly in his article, “How Stories Change the Brain” when
he says, “we intuitively understand that we, too, may have to face difficult tasks and we need to learn
how to develop our own deep resolve. In the brain, maintaining attention produces signs of arousal: the
heart and breathing speed up, stress hormones are released, and our focus is high. Once a story has
sustained our attention long enough, we may begin to emotionally resonate with the story's characters”
(Paul Zak). I think when students can relate to characters and stories it can help to validate some of
their own feelings and also provide insight into how to overcome challenges or simply open their eyes to
new ways of thinking. This is one of the main reasons why I find English to be such an important subject
because I have experienced and still do experience many of these feelings when I read stories. I fell in love
with literature throughout my high school career, which was an extremely difficult time for me emotionally.
Many of the stories I read in high school helped to shape my future and made me understand what it meant
to persevere and overcome difficult obstacles. Additionally, stories helped me to escape my own reality and
enter a new world where I could develop new experiences and ways of thinking about myself and the world
around me.
Cunningham, Katie Egan. Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness.
Stenhouse Publishers, 2019.
Alber, Rebecca. “How Are Happiness and Learning Connected?” Edutopia,
George Lucas Educational Foundation, 4 Mar. 2013, www.edutopia.org/blog/happiness-learning
-connection-rebecca-alber.
Paul J. Zak. “How Stories Change the Brain.” Greater Good, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain.
Hi Jaclyn. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I appreciated how you included some strategies that support happiness in the classroom, as I believe it truly is the responsibility of the teacher to design their instruction for student happiness. In Katie Cunningham's book Start with Joy, she talks about how social-emotional learning activities are becoming very popular in schools, but they are often separate from academic instruction. This had me wondering how we, as teachers, can make out academic instruction more joyous.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I loved the last section of your post, “The Impact of Life Stories”, as I also agree that stories can be used as a tool to promote happiness in a classroom. Not only are stories engaging for students, but they help to teach them how to regulate their emotions, how to deal with conflict, how to overcome obstacles, and so much more. Also, like you said in your post, stories can be used as an “escape” from your own reality, which I think can be very therapeutic for people of all ages.
-Colleen K.
Hi Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI was so happy to see that you wrote about happiness. For some reason it really brought me joy. It is so important especially with many school doing virtual to get to know your students. I find that the more you know about them and try to incorporate their interests the more receptive they are to you.
It is also extremely important to try make sure that we are incorporating multiple perspectives when teaching. Although it is very hard to do I always try and make sure that when I am presenting an argument to students that both side are equally incorporated. There is a huge push in the history world to include more diverse voices and I could not agree more. If students see themselves in what they are learning about, the also again, tend to be more engaged.
Overall I really liked this and it brought me a lot of joy to read!
Stephanie
Hi Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog post, who doesn't love reading about happiness and joy? I really enjoyed reading the different approaches that teachers can take. Your first sentence really spoke to me, what word would my students think of? It is a powerful questions that can tell you a lot about who your students are. I hope a lot of them would say fun, friends, exciting but i'm sure there would be a lot who said the complete opposite.
The invitation approach is new to me but wow, what a simple yet powerful idea. As a teacher asking yourself, how can you make every student feel invited and honored to be there? I understand how this could help students to take ownership in their work and presence in the classroom.
I actually read about the making a list of things you love activity and tried it in my classroom. It was emotional for me to watch some students struggle to think of things or people they love. It's important to remind not just children, but every one of the many people, places, or things they love. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Hello Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteIt is so important to find joy in the classroom. I had to examine the joy in my classroom when a student came into my room this morning and asked, "Are we doing something fun today?" I stopped and wondered, "What lessons do my students enjoy? How do they feel about most of the lessons I teach?"
I always want to be in-tune with my students' emotions. You mention that teachers can take the emotional temperature of the class and adjust lessons as needed. One of my goals is to become better at this. When a class is not going well for me, usually I push through it and make adjustments for the next day. I realize that this can prolong tensions for both me and my students. I would like to be able to change my tactics on the spot. If I need a break, my students likely need a break too! I am trying to be more aware of when a change is needed and find ways to hit the "reset" button or try something new mid-class.
I think the idea of adding one thing every day to a list of things that makes you happy is a great strategy for increasing happiness for anyone. I definitely want to implement this as a daily practice for my students.
Thank you for writing the blog post this week!
Best,
Kate
Dear Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog post this week. It made me think about the activities and lessons I have planned - did I stop to make sure I would have time to connect with students and make sure they were reflected in my lessons - would my class bring joy to my students? The truth is, I could do better. When I think about lessons and units that truly come alive, a big foundation of that is what you discussed. The students are engaged because they feel valued - there are fun activities which reflect their interests, they have choice about what activities to engage in and how to show their learning. As Kate mentioned, I have also "pushed through" a lesson even when there were signs that students were disengaged or frustrated. We could have all used a break! I am working on being more flexible as a teacher and keeping my student's spirits as my top priority, not always sticking to the lesson plan.
My favorite parts about this post were the Happiness List and the Life Stories. I started keeping a journal last year (inconsistently...), and I try everyday to write down things I am grateful for. This also makes for a great list to look back on after a tough day. The happiness list is a great idea for the classroom, and maybe an opportunity for a collaborative board where all class members can share a few things that make them happy. I also enjoyed reading about Life Stories in your post and in the reading this week. When we can include diverse stories in our classes, it gives students the chance to imagine themselves in various narratives, and strengthens their self-narrative. As the reading discussed, having a stronger sense of self leads to more happiness, perseverance and confidence - these are all things we can support in our classrooms by implementing strategies presented in your post and in our reading this week.
Great post. I liked that it focused on happiness and relating that back to the classroom. It made me reflect on my experiences both as a student and as an educator. How we shape our students education is always at the forefront of everything we do as teachers but stopping to think about how a students happiness can be tied to these activities and lesson is very impactful. Most teachers have witnessed a shy student getting excited for a new activity or a hard to reach student becoming motivated by the feeling they get from being a part of something in the classroom. I think that being mindful of these opportunities can make it much easier to build them into our lessons. Happy students are students who are going to succeed. A lot of times the line between success and failure for a student is being able to push themselves when things start getting a little tough. In my experience students who are unhappy our unconfident can't manage this.
ReplyDeleteHi Jaclyn!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love that you decided to share your personal story through completing the activity! I also love that you touched upon your argument that children who experience joy and happiness in the classroom are more likely to be vulnerable and try new things! I also love the invitation approach. I think it's a wonderful thing when (in not covid times) you can "invite" your students to the rug to hear a story or invite them to your lesson. It is a simple language change that can make the students feel excited and important. All of these simple things we can do in our classrooms to provide joy just go to show how many different hats teachers wear each day. Something people from other fields don't understand is just how much teachers do. Not only are we responsible for delivering meaningful content to our students, but we also must teach them how to have fun and provide them with happy times. All of these put together will help the students succeed. Great post!
-Ali
Hi Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you brought in your own experiences and shared your own happy list. I think it's really important for us (teachers) to be willing to share our own experiences and participate in the activities because it'll show what we are looking for, as well as give our students a chance to see a different side of us. I also agree with you that I fell in love with literature during my high school English classes and I think it just goes to show how important it is, when choosing books, poems, articles, etc. for the classroom.
Hi Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI really loved your blog post. In my own personal life, I've been focusing on finding more joy and doing things that bring me joy and happiness. This is something I truly want to incorporate into my classroom. I am a strong advocate for mental health and SEL, and I believe that centering a classroom around joy will support this further. I do something similar to the "happiness list" in my own journaling, but I would love to see what students would do with this exercise given the opportunity. I also agree wholeheartedly about the importance of allowing students to "see themselves" through the stories we choose to read, and the mini lessons we teach. I appreciated all the helpful tips and suggestions made throughout this post. Hopefully we can all work to bring a little more joy into our students' lives. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and agree with you fully that happiness in the classroom is an essential part in creating a productive and safe classroom environment where the students feel comfortable and can reach their full potential. In my classroom I teach 8th grade social studies and I have tried many different strategies to make the classroom a much more enjoyable experience with my students. From playing games to telling real life stories in my slides about my own life, I find these aspects of the classroom to be the most important because it shows the students that you are human and not a robot giving them strictly information every day. From my experience, using these strategies has made the students much more interested in the information and I have seen great improvements in them over the course of the year because of this. I also like learning more about my students in their own lives so that I can see what their interests are so that I could possibly implement them into my lessons. This was a great post !
Mark
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post. I totally understand the struggle of trying to get students to find happiness in something that may seem tedious or boring to them. It reminds me of a quote that a professor of mine would always preach by Dr. Ross
Greene... "Kids will do well if they can." Meaning we have to be able to provide the opportunity for all students to succeed and leave behind deficit mindset. I have always enjoyed being in school and learning so it can sometimes be difficult for me to try and spark the same passion I had with my students. This is why making connections and allowing students to bring their interests into the class room is so important!
-Grace
Hello Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI love how you stressed the importance of joy and happiness while teaching and being in the classroom. As teachers. Wes wants our students to break away from associating school with dread. When I was in elementary school and middle school I loved math and science and I could it stand social studies and English. I was never really a great reader, mostly because I was not go at it so I decided I would not do it as often. Which later, I realized I would never get food at it if I didn’t practice. When I got to high school however I had one great English teacher and from then on I started picking up books, going in for extra help, in my writing skills also improved. I’m still not the fastest reader but I have a great vocabulary, I’m really good at spelling, and I left to write. I also had a great social studies teacher for world geography which made me interested in learning about different parts of the world and being open to new perspectives and getting insight on other people‘s cultures. Unfortunately, US History is still not my favorite. But this goes to show that having the right teacher and having the right teaching style and pedagogy can make all the difference for students in the classroom. It is important to have a positive attitude and have positive body language while teaching because students will always pick up on it regardless of how young they are. Kids are very receptive and if they don’t think you’re having a good time the chances that they will have a good time is also minimized.
~Chaisen