Joy is not a luxury—it's fuel. Joy sustains us when systems fail us, strengthens our resilience, and renews our energy. In The Vital Role of Joy in Schools: Strategies for Resilient Teachers and Students, Kimberly Tsai shares ways that K–12 teachers can harness joy as a tool for instructional and professional improvement, from sparking personal growth to fostering deeper and more dynamic student learning experiences. In this exclusive excerpt, Tsai outlines schoolwide strategies to practice joy.
Have you ever been at a football stadium where the energy is high and filled with love, camaraderie, and community? Imagine walking into a school and feeling that same level of excitement, joy, and deep pride. To create such energy schoolwide takes a great orchestra of people—and a great conductor.
Cross-Grade Projects
Latanya Lockett is such a conductor. An incredible educator, she is an igniter of joy. Her ABCs of Black History Project is a powerful example. This trimester-long project brought together K–12 educators and students across elementary, middle, and high school.
The project began with empathy. In listening to her students, Ms. Latanya learned that many associated Black history with struggle, slavery, segregation, and the civil rights movement; the joy in it was missing. Using this insight, she set out to help students uncover the rich contributions and accomplishments of Black people. She also envisioned the project as a year-round learning opportunity, not one confined to the month of February.
Whether they call it Wonder Wednesdays, FLEX Block, Passion Block, or Genius Hour, the heart of the idea is the same: creating open-ended yet structured opportunities to honor the passions of young people.
Each grade-level cohort or department was assigned one or two letters of the alphabet. Students studied a prominent Black American whose name began with the assigned letter and examined how their achievements had shaped society in meaningful ways. Across divisions, students researched, investigated history, explored Black joy, and transformed their learning into creative art pieces that celebrated these figures. As a culminating product, the three school divisions collectively honored more than 60 iconic figures in Black history. The project not only connected students across grade levels but also offered a powerful, enduring testament to the resilience, creativity, and joy within Black communities.
Cross-Grade Collaboration
I realize that teachers are incredibly busy people. However, if you’re eager to try something new, consider making space for cross-grade collaboration. When I was in the classroom, I felt a deep calling to do this. I hosted student leadership sessions during lunch as well as clubs after school. These spaces were powerful platforms where students stepped up as decision makers, advocated for their peers, and strengthened school spirit. Participation was optional, yet students eagerly chose to take part because, when given the chance, young people rise to the occasion.
Although student leadership is often associated with high school, it’s something that elementary students can hone, too. As an elementary school teacher, I hosted weekly meetings for 3rd to 5th graders where students planned events, solved school challenges, and advocated for ways to improve their schooling experiences. What inspired me the most about these cross-grade spaces was how they shifted traditional power dynamics. On the playground, I often observed younger students giving up their spot on the basketball courts or deferring to older students. But in Student Collaborative, leadership wasn’t about age. All students were seen as leaders for their contributions; everyone worked together toward the same goals. Mentorship happened in both directions, from the youngest to the oldest students. In these spaces, I witnessed something simple yet profound: When students feel valued and respected, joy follows naturally.
Cross-Grade Exploration
Schools often offer students the freedom to choose activities, get extra support, or explore new interests. Whether they call it Wonder Wednesdays, FLEX Block, Passion Block, or Genius Hour, the heart of the idea is the same: creating open-ended yet structured opportunities to honor the passions of young people. As an elementary school teacher, one of my favorite experiences was creating a life-size foosball court with students. Using PVC pipes, chairs, and foam cushions, we worked together to build an interactive, classroom- size game. Students decided on the court’s dimensions, assembled the pipes, and organized themselves into teams. They practiced clear communication, collaboration, and problem solving. They even applied their math skills, all while building something joyful and truly their own.
Across the hallway, other teachers facilitated culinary arts or taught crochet. Some simply offered space for open conversations. What made these moments powerful was the way students and adults connected across shared interests, beyond the assigned roles of teacher and student.
These kinds of flexible blocks foster schoolwide engagement and belonging. Students feel seen, valued, and empowered with real choices in how they spend their time, building a collective sense of joy and community that stays with them long after the activities end.
Schoolwide Assemblies
One of the most joyful and powerful experiences I’ve witnessed was brought to me courtesy of schoolwide assemblies. These aren’t the typical gatherings where students sit quietly in rows while a principal reads off names for AP awards or perfect attendance. No, these are celebrations of community, alive with energy and connection. Students aren’t just spectators; they are active participants cheering, chanting, dancing, and singing together.
I remember an assembly that Ms. Lockett hosted. Like a true rock star, she had a gift for uniting an entire school in electrifying school chants and dynamic movement. To foster this kind of collective energy, she would model it herself. She started with school chants, creating a synergy that set the tone for the rest of the assembly. Students sang in unison, in harmony with their community. It was like a stadium roaring in support of its home team. Afterward, students would showcase a bright spot in their school and celebrate their colleagues.
Students sang in unison, in harmony with their community. It was like a stadium roaring in support of its home team.
Ms. Lockett orchestrated whole-school movements such as “the wave,” turning simple gestures into a ripple effect of connection. Through layered rhythms, she led students in creating the sound of a rainstorm. Her dance circles pulsed with encouragement as students took turns stepping into the center to shine. These rhythms and movements did more than entertain; they wove the school community together, strengthening bonds, amplifying joy, and fostering a deep sense of belonging for students and adults alike. In these rituals, people were invited into a shared space where collective joy, belonging, and school spirit flourished.
You might be thinking, Wow, Latanya is pure magic! And you’d be absolutely right. But her magic isn’t hers alone. We, too, can create moments and spaces that bring our whole school community together, whether through song and movement or through shared academic experiences. It’s about the energy we put out and the will to make these events magical and inspiring.
Learning—and Joy—Is Everywhere
You can weave joy into the fabric of everyday school life. Imagine the cafeteria bursting with energy as music plays during lunch and recess, calling young people to move, dance, and laugh together in ways that remind them that school is as much about living as it is about learning. Picture hallways filled with vibrant affirmations and colorful student artworks that whisper encouragement at every turn, while teachers and staff greet each student by name with genuine smiles that affirm, “You belong here.” Classrooms glow when small victories are celebrated: a student persisting through a tough math problem, a kind word offered to a peer. Whether it’s ringing a bell to mark a collective achievement or spotlighting an act of kindness during morning announcements, these acts can shift us from isolation toward joyful collectivism.
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Kimberly Tsai is the director of programs at Challenge Success. She is also an educational advisor and improvement coach at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education and a board member for Teaching & Learning Collaborative in San Diego, California.
Tsai is the author of The Vital Role of Joy in Schools. She is deeply honored to work in spaces that lift up youth voices in service of nurturing equitable spaces within K–12 schools. Learn more about her work.
