Measuring joy in the classroom
Here we are in the season of joy – of family and dear friends, of places and traditions, and yes, the joy of bringing joy to others.
In this season of rejoicing and celebrations in churches, synagogues and mosques, and in concert halls, theaters and homes, why not also in the classroom?
A dear friend recently said to me that school should be “an oasis of joy for young people.” At JFYNetWorks we couldn’t agree more.
We must certainly continue to focus on the hard work of developing measurable skills for success in economic and civic life. But how do we measure joy?
Young people spend 180 days per year in school. At a typical rate of 6 hours per day, that’s over 1000 hours. Many schools exceed that total. Adding in transportation time and extracurricular activities, the total impact of school on a young person’s life is exceeded only by the family. If we want the lives of our young people to be happy and whole, it makes every bit of sense to factor the experience of joy into our education plans.
Our middle and high school students are our source of joy. They are also our future. Your support makes it possible for us to help them build and hone their skills to meet tomorrow’s challenges with pride in their accomplishments and joy in learning along the way.
We wish you joy this season, the joy of giving to help us bring more joy to our students’ classrooms. It’s a team effort with our school partners and our supporters, like you, to whom we are most grateful.
With best wishes for a joyous holiday season,
Gary Kaplan and the JFYNetWorks Team
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