Cultivating Joy Among the ‘Community of Learners’

Nita Creekmore is coauthor of Every Connection Matters: How to Build, Maintain, and Restore Relationships Inside the Classroom and Out. A longtime instructional coach, presenter and education consultant, Creekmore has returned to the classroom as a fifth-grade teacher. In this interview with Educational Leadership magazine, Creekmore discussed how she approaches each day with joy and purpose.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How do you define joy?

So, for me, I feel like joy comes from within. It is something that I have to cultivate all the time, finding the glimmers or the bright spots within the things that feel hard. And then in school, joy is connecting with students, connecting with my colleagues, connecting with the human aspect of teaching and learning.

I think that sometimes when you’re in education, especially for a long time (this is my 21st year), all the things can feel so heavy—and they are heavy. The system is not perfect, the system is broken in a lot of different places, but you can find joy in the midst of it.

What inspired you to return to the classroom, after being an instructional coach?

I realized I missed having my own students and my own classroom. I missed hearing, “Good morning, Mrs. Creekmore,” as students would shuffle in. I missed the daily structure of classroom routines. I missed the community that was built—that family feeling—and the joy we experienced. I missed teaching students every day. I even missed planning lessons. There was something pulling me back in the trenches.

You’ve suggested that teacher and student joy are inextricably linked. Can you talk more about that?

I do feel like teacher and student joy are aligned. I teach English language arts to fifth grade right now, and I know if I feel joy, it permeates to my students.

There are students who come into my classroom at the beginning of the year and flat-out tell me they don’t like to read. But because I get so excited about reading, I hope I ignite the joy within them to want to read. I want to know what their interests are and tap into them.

Likewise, some of my kids don’t want to come to school. So, I try to find what it is about school that they don’t like. What is it about school that they do like? Part of cultivating joy is the relationship-building piece. I love what I do, and I care about my students and their well-being.

One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not necessarily what we’re teaching—which is very important, of course—but it’s how we’re showing up for the kids. I believe that’s the foundation of joy in schools.

How do you model joy in your own classroom?

Before I even step into the classroom, I check in with me. I do a lot of affirmations before work—prayer, devotionals, meditation. If I take care of myself, that’s one way that I model joy.I also greet my students at the door every single day. I’ll give them hugs, fist bumps, high fives—whatever they’re comfortable with. I’m modeling joy by showing kids, I’m happy you’re here. I’m happy you showed up. Even my students who come in late, you can ask any of them, I’ll give them a high five. “You showed up! We missed you,” I’ll exclaim.

It’s the same when students are absent. I tell their parents, we missed your child today. And when the student returns, I am overjoyed to see them—“We missed you!” I use the term “we” intentionally so students know that we are all part of a community of learners. Every person in our classroom is important and valued. And so, when a student is not here, it’s like a piece is missing.

What are some other practices teachers can try to bring joy into the classroom?

Think about how you can infuse joy into your curriculum. Ask your students, “What do you like to do? What is something that makes you feel joyful?” Take time to get to know your kids.

Or, if there’s a lesson you’ve delivered and you notice students were really engaged and really joyful, pause. Reflect on that. What made it so joyful? Sometimes as teachers, we move with this sense of urgency. Everything in education is so fast. But we have to slow down. If a lesson went well, and the kids seemed excited and happy, what made it that way? Once you figure that out, keep doing that thing, infusing it into other subjects and lessons.

Also, have fun with your colleagues and the people in your school building. How can you infuse joy, not just within your own classroom, but with your teammates? Because kids see how you interact with your teammates. They’re very observant. They see whether or not you’re joyful or laughing or having a good time in the midst of your day.

In Every Connection Matters, you talk a lot about teacher authenticity. How does authenticity factor into joy?

I try to bring my authentic self into the classroom space. I’m silly. I sing. I’m funny (depending on whom you ask). By me showing how authentically me I am, it allows students to have the freedom to be who they are. Joy is often hindered when you feel like you can’t be who you are.

What about when students struggle to find joy?

Being grounded in joy in your teaching is the heart of cultivating student joy. They thread into one another in very authentic ways. If you are at a place where students are struggling to find joy, take time for yourself to reflect, notice, and wonder where you fall on your own joy meter.

Ask yourself questions like: When was the last time I experienced joy as the teacher and modeler for joy in my own community? What does joy look like and sound like for me? Once you reflect on those questions, give yourself the gift of rooting in joy for yourself and for your students. It takes intention but makes the work we do in education so much sweeter.