Last week my doctor asked me how I was doing. How am I doing? Such general questions take time for me to scan and reflect. But on this day I more easily replied, “I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m actually experiencing some joy.”
You might have noticed more mentions of joy lately. In May, Sarah Rose Cavanagh, author of The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion, published a piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education: “‘They Need Us to Be Well’
The surprising recipe for building students’ emotional well-being in the classroom? Rest and joy — for professors.” In it, she discusses the indirect effect a teacher can have on students in the classroom when they cultivate and sustain their own joy. She provides several pieces of advice that can help us get there.
One suggestion she made is to create an assignment that will actually be more fun to evaluate. Maybe it’s time to revamp an assignment that is dreadful to read and score–it’s happened to me. Changing that assignment is within my control, and reading the new assignment submissions can have the power to lift me up. I think the change can also happen in the semester–it’s harder to do that, but it is possible. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Another suggestion she makes is to build in stress buffers. This is structuring a course in a way that gives you a break when you need it–so after collecting projects, not collecting something that requires a lot of brain tax for a week or so, for example. I really love this one since, as a composition teacher, reading and scoring essays takes a lot of brain energy. I need a week where students can show me their learning in ways that are easier for me to assess.
I’m going to offer one of my own suggestions. Throughout my teaching career, I’ve developed a strategy for when I am stressed, isolated, or generally feeling down and less enthusiastic. I try to do something for others. That might seem antithetical to the problem, but creating that small connection, expressing gratitude, or gifting something to someone (a comic, a thought, a card) always changes my mood and brings me some joy.
Another personal strategy, developed in conjunction with some dear colleagues and friends is cake or pie or cookies. It is best if there is something silly and fun to celebrate. This strategy involves fun, breaking out of a mold and creating something novel and fun. What’s the next faux holiday you can celebrate with cake?
What are your tips for cultivating and sustaining joy? Help us out and leave them in the comments!
