How often do we ask our students that question and truly listen to their answers? I spent the last week asking my 7th grade Accelerating Literacy English students what makes them happy and it was one of the best weeks of our school year.
We just finished our State Reading test and the feel of summer was in the air, but 5 weeks of school lay between us and the finish line. I needed to bring them back to the moment, while at the same time give them a bit of breathing space before we dove into our final instructional units of the school year….AND we needed to find some joy and happiness!
We were also without the cart of laptop computers that they had grown accustomed to using throughout the school year. All of our available computers were being pulled for the standardized testing that was happening throughout the building. So, they were anxious, ready for summer and not interested in serious schoolwork. I needed to find a way to give them a brief period of joy!
I shared with the students that they were going to make a list of 100 things that made them happy. The looks on their faces definitely let me know that they weren’t expecting this. I actually had a student ask “Why?” Why do I care what makes them happy? That comment got me thinking.
As a teacher, I want to know when these kids are happy and I want them to feel that they can share with me what brings them joy. We started having a fun conversation about what brings us joy, and I shared my project - I had completed my own 100 Things that Makes Mrs. Rahn Happy at home, to share with my students. They laughed at some of my ideas, but then were surprised that they also agreed with some of them.
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| What makes me happy! |
And so they began - generating a list - spell checking it with a dictionary or with me - and then creating a visual word collage to share with the others. As I wandered the room, I was able to connect with some of these kids as never before.
“Free Samples at Costco” - Yes! That makes me happy too.
“Painting my nails” - :)
“Eating dinner with my family”
“Getting new shoes”
“Peace and quiet”
Their lists also consisted of the predictable - best friends, restaurants,music, movies, colors, holidays and other standard 7th grade items, but what was really neat were the connections that they were making with each other, that were unpredictable and surprising. The 7th grade boys and girls were realizing that everyone was different, with different likes/dislikes, but they were also surprisingly similar in what they enjoyed.
They were appreciating what each other was sharing, discovering unknowns about their peers and they weren’t mocking or teasing. This idea of happiness prevented them from belittling anyone else’s ideas.
They took the list and turned it into a colorful, creative masterpiece that displayed their inner personalities. I asked if I could display these for others to see - and the answer was a resounding YES! One student asked for me not to share, but upon completing her colorful poster and being very proud of her final product, she told me (with a grin on her face) that I could share if I really wanted to.
This quick, relaxing project opened my eyes to the fact that these middle school kids need opportunities in school to share their happiness and joy during the school day! They want to be asked!
These kids are now refocused and ready to tackle the last 4 weeks of school with renewed energy and a desire to achieve. Why? Because they had an opportunity to stop and share their happiness!
So….what makes YOU happy?
Reading this made me happy. Four stars!
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