We're living in troubling times. When you're surrounded by so much chaos and confusion, it can be hard to figure out where to put your focus and energy. At a time like this, it might not make sense to talk about joy, but that's what were going to do in this episode. My guest is Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, author of the book Cultivating Genius and the 2023 follow-up, Unearthing Joy. We sat down to talk about about why joy is essential in our lives and in our teaching practice. She shares how to bring more joy into your classroom right now, how it connects to justice, and why it’s an essential survival skill for teachers. This conversation gave me hope, and I hope it does the same for you. ______________________________________________________________ Thanks to <a href="https://cultofpedagogy.com/everfi" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">EVERFI</a> and <a href= "https://nea.org/schoolme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The School Me Podcast</a> for sponsoring this episode. For links to Dr. Muhammad's books and a full transcript of this episode, visit <a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/joy-gholdy-muhammad/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">cultofpedagogy.com/joy-gholdy-muhammad</a>.

Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we're talking about it.  Jennifer Gonzalez interviews educators, students, administrators and parents about the psychological and social dynamics of school, trade secrets, and other juicy things you'll never learn in a textbook. For more fantastic resources for teachers, visit http://www.cultofpedagogy.com.