There’s a quiet misconception floating around schools right now.

That teachers and leaders are joyless.
Burned out.
Checked out.
Done.

But in every conversation I have with educators, that’s not what I hear.

What I hear is this instead:

“I still love kids.”
“I still care deeply about this work.”
“I just feel… full. All the time.”

Joy didn’t disappear from schools.
It just got crowded out by everything else.

Joy Isn’t Gone—It’s Just Buried Under the To-Do List

Most educators aren’t missing joy because they’ve lost their passion.

They’re missing it because their days are packed wall-to-wall with: urgent emails, behavior support, curriculum demands, meetings about meetings, and emotional labor no one sees.

When every minute is accounted for, joy doesn’t get a seat at the table.

And over time, a dangerous belief starts to creep in, “Joy is something I’ll get back to when things calm down.”

But here’s the truth no one says out loud: Things don’t calm down on their own.
Joy doesn’t return later.
It has to be layered in now—right alongside the chaos.

Joy Is Not Another Initiative (Thank Goodness)

Let’s clear this up right away.

Joy is not one more thing to plan, require a special committee, become an after-school obligation, or a “when we have time” add-on.

Joy works best when it’s small, human, and woven into what’s already happening.

Think of joy less like a destination, and more like seasoning.

You don’t wait until the end of cooking to add flavor.
You sprinkle it in as you go.

Small Ways Joy Sneaks Back In (Without Adding Work)

Here’s what layering joy can actually look like in real schools:

With students

• A two-minute “tell me something good” at the start of class
• Playing music softly during independent work
• Laughing with students when something goes sideways
• Letting a moment land instead of rushing past it

With colleagues

• A genuine check-in that isn’t followed by a task
• A shared eye roll and laugh in the hallway
• Celebrating effort, not just outcomes
• Saying, “That was hard—and you handled it well”

With yourself

• Acknowledge one moment a day that didn’t feel heavy
• Letting yourself enjoy a good lesson instead of critiquing it
• Taking the long way to the copier if it gives you 30 seconds to breathe

None of these require approval.
None of them cost money.
None of them add time to your day.

They simply shift how you occupy the time you’re already in.

The Permission Myth (And Why It’s Keeping Joy Out)

One of the biggest blockers to joy in schools isn’t workload.

It’s permission.

Somewhere along the way, many educators absorbed the message that joy is unprofessional, smiling means you’re not taking things seriously, or enjoying your job means you must not be working hard enough.

That’s simply not true.

Joy doesn’t undermine rigor.
Joy doesn’t erase challenges.
Joy doesn’t mean ignoring real problems.

Joy is what gives us the capacity to face them.

And here’s the part that matters most – you don’t need permission to bring joy back into your day.

Not from a leader.
Not from a policy.
Not from the calendar.

Joy Is a Practice, Not a Reward

Joy isn’t the prize you earn after surviving the year.

It’s a practice that helps you survive and stay connected to why you’re here.

When joy gets layered in—bit by bit—it does something powerful:

• It softens the edges of hard days
• It rebuilds emotional capacity
• It reminds adults and kids alike that school is a human place
  

And slowly, almost quietly, it starts to change the feel of the building.

Not because everything is fixed.
But because people feel more like themselves again.

Joy didn’t leave the school.

It’s still there—waiting for a little space to breathe.

Looking for more ways to build more joy into your life, personally and professionally? Check out our Lesson Plan for Life. 

Written by Sarah Fillion 2026