Professional Reading Reflection EPPSP Phase I

Date: February 23, 2020

Student Name: Carolyn Gassmann
Title of article, book, or podcast: Joyful Leadership in Practice
Author(s): Katie Egan Cunningham and Kristin N. Rainville
Publication Name and Date (articles only), link if using podcast: Leading the Energized School
p. 62-67, March 2018
Summary:
This article provides an overview of ensuring that schools are joyful spaces—from the entry to
the classrooms and office to the cafeteria and the hallways in between. To begin, the authors note
that research proves that our happiness leads to greater success and higher achievement. Because
of this, they believe that school administrators need to embrace this fact in order for their schools
to exude positive energy. They go on to provide some points of reflection for administrators to
create more joyful learning spaces.
The first point is that administrators believe in a strength-based approach. Joyful schools
emphasize students and teachers becoming the best versions of themselves. They help children
find their niche and grow within that. To help them achieve this, school leaders must focus on
the strengths of teachers, students, and the community. Strength-focused school leaders are able
to pinpoint what is going well in their school and make a point of celebrating these areas. This
becomes a model for teachers and eventually a model for students as well. Leaders should also
celebrate small successes. Joyful leaders can and should promote the successes of their staff
through notes, emails, etc. They also encourage the staff members to celebrate one another’s
successes at meetings or via the same methods mentioned previously.
The next point discussed is that joyful leaders develop an “attitude of gratitude”. Cunningham
and Rainville point out that when adults model gratitude, the students follow. They suggest
saying “thank you” at staff meetings, as this simple act creates a stronger sense of well-being and
self-worth for staff members. Joyful leaders can lead by example. The authors suggest
implementing the tenets of The Five Minute Journal, which involves reflecting in the morning
and afternoon to prompts such as, “I am grateful for…” or “Three amazing things that happened
today are…” to grow in their understanding and create a greater sense of gratitude and self-worth
from the top down.
Following that point, joyful leaders create and nurture a culture of collaboration. It is noted that
“effective leaders surround themselves with individuals who have diverse strengths and talents”.
Every member of the school community is crucial, and strong leaders emphasize that fact in an
effort to create a respectful and collaborative school culture. The authors note that, “leaders who
want to re-energize schools must find and prioritize creative ways to build collaborative
structures.” There has been some success in structuring the school week in a way that ensures
teachers have designated time to collaborate with teammates and better their practice.
The final point made is that joyful leaders establish and foster positive relationships. The idea of
how we talk to people and make them feel is crucial. A successful school leader must form,
sustain, and grow relationships with all members of the school community. From greeting
students as they enter, to visiting various classrooms, stopping in the lunch room, and being
present and positive at dismissal, administrators have a key role in leading by example in
relationship building. When present at all parts of the school day, they learn names and faces of
students, get to know them on various levels, and can better serve and assist them in the event of
issues.
The authors close out the article by stating, “with the right commitment to practicing gratitude
and celebrating strengths, relationships, and collaboration, we’ve seen time and time again that
leaders will produce positive progress and results.”
Reflection:
First and foremost, I believe wholeheartedly that the principal sets the climate for the school. If
they exude stress and worry, then the tone of the building will be as such, but if they are joyful,
then the school will be a joyful space. People feed off of the leader’s energy, so even when
facing struggles within one’s own office, it’s important to emerge with this idea in mind, and
ensure that you are still able to present yourself in a way that demonstrates the tone that you have
worked hard to set—for the staff, for the students, and really for yourself.

One of the things I loved about this article was that so many of the ideas presented were such
simple things to which I found myself thinking, “why not do that?” Even something as simple as
playing a song in the morning as students enter, eat breakfast, or listen to morning
announcements can have a great effect on the building’s culture.

As a teacher I always put my students first. I believe that learning should be joyful and that
school should be a place where students love to be. I have received comments from parents about
how much their children genuinely look forward to coming to school. Admittedly, one of my
worries entering administration is that I will not be able to replicate this outcome on a larger
scale, especially when I won’t always have direct contact with each student every day.
Thankfully, this article reminded me that we, the leaders, are in charge of that type of thing. If I
believe that having direct contact with as many students as possible throughout the day is a key
to a successful school, then I will prioritize being present at arrival and dismissal, visiting
classrooms, even teaching a lesson from time to time.

In the “Dual Language World” there is a strong researcher, speaker, and leader named José
Medina. He speaks on all areas of education, mostly in terms of Dual Language, but many of his
ideas are simply best practice in education. So often on Twitter, he shares posts about powerful
principals. Recently, I have seen many photos and stories of principals who are entering
classrooms and doing read alouds, teaching mini lessons, or partaking in learning games with
students. I think that this is an incredible way for principals to shatter the idea that a principal is
an authoritative figure who works in an office and only comes around to bring bad news. In
doing this, students and staff are able to form positive relationships with the principal, a point
that Cunningham and Rainville’s article stresses is a key to creating a joyful school.

As previously mentioned, my fear in entering administration is that I will not be able to bring the
same joy to an entire school that I currently do to a singular classroom. However, this article
really helped me reflect upon and dismantle this idea. If joy in education is what I believe, then I
will fit it into the schedule. I will make it a priority to form relationships and model gratitude. I
will ensure that students and staff feel like the school is a place where they feel safe, cared for,
and supported. When it’s in our beliefs it’s in our mission, and it’s truly in everything that we do.