Beyond My Years

The science behind a joyful classroom, starring Tracey Severns, Ed.D.

• Amplify Education

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Host Ana Torres welcomes former NJDOE Chief Academic Officer Tracey Severns, Ed.D., to discuss not just how to bring more joy to the classroom but how joy and laughter can draw in even the most vulnerable students. Tracey outlines the current research on what humor can do in the classroom and shares her own observational research in a case study school on the power of increasing smiles. She shares tips and tricks for both classroom teachers and administrators for how to encourage a culture of joy. Finally, Ana and Classroom Insider Eric Cross reflect on Tracey’s insights, with Eric sharing his top three takeaways and what specifically he incorporated in his classroom after a trip to Disney.

Show notes: 

Quotes: 

“We can do both rigor and relationships. We can address standards and smiles. We can do content and care.” —Tracey Severns, Ed.D.

“ When you have a joyous classroom, you have a learning classroom.” —Tracey Severns, Ed.D.

“There's research out there. I know some of us feel like we intuitively know that [smiling] is important, but the data shows how important that was.” —Ana Torres

“When we view students not as difficult, but as those who challenge us to be our best, we switch from frustration to growth.” —Eric Cross


[00:00:00] Tracey Severns: I actually created a permission slip. I created a permission slip that said you have permission to laugh.

[00:00:11] Ana Torres: This is Ana Torres and welcome to Season 2 of Beyond My Years from Amplify. Just like on our Webby Award-winning first season, we will be bringing you tried-and-true tips and incredible stories from seasoned educators who've already experienced it all. But we've got some changes planned for Season 2, including the fact that I'll now be joined at the beginning of every episode by my Classroom Insider, middle school science teacher, Eric Cross.

[00:00:44] Ana Torres: How's it going? 

[00:00:46] Eric Cross: Great. The Classroom Insider is back in the classroom with his brand new student starting a brand new year of seventh grade science. 

[00:00:53] Ana Torres: I'm excited for you. Eric and I have talked about, you know, we need to figure out how to get me into that classroom with those middle school [00:01:00] students. 

[00:01:00] Eric Cross: You just say the word, I'll come pick you up at the airport, 

[00:01:03] Ana Torres: San Diego, here I come.

[00:01:05] Ana Torres: Alright, let's share a couple of Season 2 changes we've got planned. For one, we're promising to bring you even shorter episodes, but we're going to pack them with advice that you can use the moment the episode ends. Our guests aren't just experienced, they're some of the leading thinkers in the field.

[00:01:26] Ana Torres: Also, on each episode this season, we're going to be focused on tackling one specific challenge that educators, like you, face. 

[00:01:35] Eric Cross: I mean, we're going to go deeper. It's going to be richer. I'm really excited about it. One, I'm excited about the fact that we get to just dive deep into a single topic. Things that there's books written about and classes that you could take on. And then, you know, the academic side of me loves that we're going to have research behind it and that there's going to be resources, 'cause you know, we want to be data-driven. We want to make sure that this stuff, like it's actually vetted and it works. This is my great commute episodes. Listen for 20 minutes, get something deep that I can apply in the classroom right away, and then share with my colleagues. 

[00:02:03] Ana Torres: So you share the same excitement that I share, which is going to bring me to today's topic, bringing more joy and laughter into the classroom and why it's important to do that is something that really resonates with me, Eric. Today's guest is going to really make a case for why this topic is critical in our classrooms. 

[00:02:24] Eric Cross: This is a topic that hits everybody. Like it doesn't matter what you teach, like all grade levels.

[00:02:28] Ana Torres: All subjects.

[00:02:29] Eric Cross: It's a huge umbrella. All subjects. Yep. And it's a big struggle. It's a big struggle for a lot of educators. I bet there's a lot of people that really want to know how to do this, but it's not always that easy. Sometimes it might seem like, "Oh, I don't have the personality to do it." But there are strategies I think that people could implement and I would love to learn more about them. There is a science to this. 

[00:02:51] Ana Torres: There is. There is evidence. And today's guest, she really wanted to make a case for joy and laughter, and offer listeners some really practical strategies that they can use. So I'm going to bring her on now and then Eric, we're going to reconnect and we're going to break down the conversation together.

[00:03:09] Ana Torres: Sound good? 

[00:03:09] Eric Cross: Look forward to it. 

[00:03:10] Ana Torres: Thanks, Eric.

[00:03:15] Ana Torres: I am so excited about today's guest, everyone. Today's guest is someone who rose from classroom aid to the state of New Jersey's chief academic officer. Along the way, she was named New Jersey's Visionary Principal of the Year, and a national distinguished principal. But really the reason I want to have her on the show today is that I know she's going to make me laugh. So please welcome Dr. Tracey Severns to the show. 

[00:03:48] Tracey Severns: It is a pleasure, ana. Thank you so much for having me here. This is a great way to start my day. I am super excited. 

[00:03:56] Ana Torres: And the excitement is mutual. Now, Tracey, how many [00:04:00] years have you been in education? 

[00:04:02] Tracey Severns: Nearly four decades. 

[00:04:06] Ana Torres: Wow. 

[00:04:06] Tracey Severns: I know because I look so good, right? Look at me.

[00:04:09] Ana Torres: You look my amazing. So, in case you can't tell already, Dr. Severns also performed -stand-up comedy, and on this episode, she's going to make a serious case for how joy and laughter can be a valuable tool that educators can use. So I want to take you back a little bit and I want you to tell us some of the challenges that you faced early in your teaching career and maybe an epiphany that you had.

[00:04:38] Tracey Severns: You know, I got my start in education at a school for children who were so difficult to reach and teach in their public setting that districts spent tens of thousands of dollars to send them to someone else. And for anyone out there who has worked with a tough clientele, these are the kids who really challenge you to be your best because they are hard to reach and teach.

[00:05:02] Tracey Severns: So in this school, I worked with students who were, at the time, considered emotionally disturbed and behaviorally involved. So these were very challenging children. What I learned quickly is that they were often angry, anxious, volatile, distractible. They had a lot of wounds, they were vulnerable, they brought a lot to the classroom.

[00:05:24] Tracey Severns: And what I discovered is that when I was funny, if I could make them laugh, if I could say something that was unexpected, they paid attention. They hung on every word. They didn't instigate each other. They didn't start trouble or provoke each other. And they remembered what they were learning.

[00:05:44] Tracey Severns: I began to discover how memorable it was when we could engage in ways that were light while we were learning some serious things. 

[00:05:56] Ana Torres: Sounds like you learned that early on though, Tracey. 

[00:05:58] Tracey Severns: Yes. It really, it was a matter of survival. Anyone who has taught really challenging children, I mean, even though I only had, for the most part nine, no more than 11 kids, they felt exponentially more. They were just so, so challenging. And when I leaned in on the fun and funny, it was like magic. And by no means was it vacuous, did we not get to the lessons, it was like we got through the lessons in a way that was transformative for both me and for them. And I even earned a nickname from one of my students.

[00:06:38] Tracey Severns: It was. Corny Severns. Not that that's, you know, and listen, some teachers have been called worse, but if you're teaching and being funny in the context of the classroom, they've got to be more like dad jokes, I guess, or, or little puns. We always have to stay appropriate, of course, and developmentally aware of who you're working with. But they, they would always, you know, do that like eye roll and the, "oh, she's just crazy," you know? But it worked. It worked!

[00:07:06] Ana Torres: And you called it magical, Tracey. You said, and again, there are times too, and I think I even heard you say, these are kids that were challenging and sometimes challenging can be subjective, right? It's that perceived challenge. And you used the word magic, when did you realize that that was a magical component? 

[00:07:26] Tracey Severns: It was when we went through a whole day, and I'm not being hyperbolic here or exaggerating, without a fight. I needed to find a way to hook and hold their attention, to draw them in, and to cause them to really believe that I cared about them.

[00:07:44] Ana Torres: I really appreciate you sharing kind of that anecdotal evidence, right? You lived it, you breathed it, and you saw that the power of humor is super important. But now let's get to the serious part, right? This is backed by  research, is it not Dr. Tracey Severns? 

[00:08:02] Tracey Severns: It is. It is. There are a lot of good reasons to use humor.

[00:08:08] Tracey Severns: So I read recently of a study of 5,000 K-12 teachers and they were asked to describe the emotions they felt most often. So for all the listeners out there, I want you to think about what comes to your mind when you think about the emotions that you have experienced? Well, perhaps you will resonate with these: anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad.

[00:08:34] Tracey Severns: And Ana, I want to tell you, the one that hit my heart so hard was sad. 

[00:08:40] Ana Torres: Right. 

[00:08:41] Tracey Severns: Because for me, teaching really should be an uplifting experience. It has moments certainly when it's challenging, but it can be joyful. So to hear people reporting that they're sad, I thought this is, this is, it's important for us to have humor and here's what the research also said: that humor can be used to elicit and maintain attention, improve retention and information, increase energy and enjoyment, enhance relationships and group cohesion, reduce stress and tension—and I'm not done—Increase creativity and divergent thinking and improve culture and climate. Come on! Like what else is there? What haven't I mentioned? 

[00:09:29] Ana Torres: Well, and you used the word, sad, right? As far as, you know, educators just feeling anxiety and sadness. And we intuitively think, "Well hello, joy should be in our classrooms, right?" Laughter should be there. But that's not always the case, and I'm so glad that you're bringing research to the forefront of that, Tracey, to kind of validate the importance of what joy and laughter can bring into the classroom.

[00:09:56] Ana Torres: I've always known that, but I would have some of my [00:10:00] colleagues, a really close colleague of mine, It's like, "Ana, there's too much. You're always laughing in there. There's just too much, you know, laughter." And before we get to your amazing strategies and tips and tricks, I want to fast forward us to your career a bit. And man, when I tell you her career has been such a robust trajectory, you know, after all of those years in the classroom, you went on to serve as a vice principal, a principal, director of student performance, superintendent, and of course chief academic officer for the New Jersey Department of Education.

[00:10:32] Ana Torres: And along the way, you have gone to many schools and have seen transformation as joy and laughter is infused. Tell us about what you've seen. 

[00:10:44] Tracey Severns: Well, the first example that comes to mind is, you know, a lot of my work has been in the area of data and sometimes people, "Oh, data that's a, like, ooh, four letter word, like people like," but you know, data is of all kinds and it can be everything from what you observe to certainly what you measure. But in this case, I went to a school because I was asked to go there by the superintendent because they were having so much trouble in the school. And when I went to the school and walked through with the principal, I had an immediate noticing, and that was that no one was smiling.

[00:11:20] Tracey Severns: And when I met with the principal in his office, he said, "Okay," you know, 'cause he wasn't wanting me to be there. He was, you know, "what's the first data point we're going to focus on?" And I said, "Smiles. We're going to go out there, we're going to walk through your school and we're going to count the smiles."

[00:11:38] Tracey Severns: And you know what? We couldn't find any. And Ana, this was an elementary school, and if we don't find smiles in elementary school, they are not going to make it through their educational journey. And I'll tell you, it was a sobering conversation. 

[00:11:56] Ana Torres: I was going to ask you how that was received because when you think of data, people want numbers. Right? 

[00:12:02] Tracey Severns: Yeah. Well, we went out and we counted. We counted the smiles. And we looked at the secretaries when they welcomed us, we looked at the people in the cafeteria, we looked at the paras, at the teachers, at the students, and we couldn't find even a smile. And so when I shared that information, while it was difficult, it spurred him onto action. And here is the beautiful thing. I went back just a couple of weeks later and it was like a different place. There was music, there was smiles, there were high fives. And here's the thing, it felt so different the first time, I couldn't wait to leave.

[00:12:40] Tracey Severns: The second time I wanted to stay. And that's what emotional feeling tone can do for us. And it was free. It required no PD. All it took was awareness and a willingness to smile. And I said, just start with smiles. And here's the outcome, because again, I'm a data girl, so there were measured improvements in attendance on the part of students and staff, decreased behavior referrals and increases in student academic outcomes over the course of the year. 

[00:13:15] Ana Torres: So can I rewind a little bit and ask you what happened between that meeting and that next follow up where you did see it? What happened there, Tracey? 

[00:13:25] Tracey Severns: It really started with just speaking truth to the principle.

[00:13:30] Tracey Severns: Like, here's an uncomfortable truth. And here's one of the things that I've noticed is that often the higher up you go in any organization including school districts, the less often people hear truth. And the beautiful thing about being a visitor is I looked at the school through fresh eyes. I saw it in ways that the people who lived there no longer were able to see it.

[00:13:55] Tracey Severns: And like the emperor, I said, "Look, he's naked." Right? So in this school it doesn't need to be this way. And so it was an uncomfortable conversation and I said to the principal, "You can do this. You have a beautiful student population. You have wonderful teachers. They're looking for permission. There are simple ways you could do this. One of them is as you walk through the hall, look at your students, see them, smile, learn each other's names." These are powerful, powerful ways to change the emotional feeling, tone, and they cost nothing. Nothing. 

[00:14:36] Ana Torres: Like you said, it starts with that principle, with that leader accepting that that is a concern, accepting that this could be transformative. And I heard you even say that word in the beginning of our call, like how this transformed and again, cost nothing. And that at every part of that school that students should be allowed to be joyful and that staff should be allowed to also infuse that joy— from that student walking in, from that, you know, crossing guard to that secretary, to the janitor, to whoever that child encounters— 'cause for me, as I hear you talk about it, and I get so excited and I get really weepy eyed, that could be the only place that student experiences joy. 

[00:15:21] Tracey Severns: Absolutely. We are the only sure things in their lives. 

[00:15:25] Ana Torres: And they spend the most time with us, so, right?

[00:15:27] Tracey Severns: Yes.

[00:15:27] Ana Torres: So why not infuse that? So thanks for sharing that. And how did the staff embrace that? You mentioned it started with the principal, the principal was on board, probably hard to kind of realize that that was what was happening on that campus. How did you get the staff, like reenergized and, you know, kind of re-passionate about this? 

[00:15:49] Tracey Severns: Well, you know, what I found is they were not only willing, but eager to have a different experience. Just like you say, we spend so much time at school, why not live joyfully? Why not have the experience a positive one?

[00:16:04] Tracey Severns: We don't necessarily have to go home defeated and depleted and despondent, you know, and in truth, that's one of the reasons I started taking comedy lessons. Because when I support schools, one of my noticings was that there just wasn't the joy and I thought, well, maybe I can bring some laughter.

[00:16:25] Tracey Severns: Maybe we can turn up the fun and the funny a little bit, but still focus on the learning. I understand we do high stakes work, but if we believe in the power of "and" and not "or," then we believe we can do both rigor and relationships. We can address standards and smiles. Right? We can do content and care.

[00:16:50] Tracey Severns: See, what I say to people is the idea of Maslow versus Bloom is a false dichotomy. It can be Maslow and. So that's the thing is just to weave into our daily experience, like have a little music playing when the kids are coming in. Smile at each other. When people receive a smile, they tend to pass it on to someone else and it almost has a positive contagion where it grows.

[00:17:19] Ana Torres: Agreed. And I love how you used those particular concepts as far as rigor and fun can happen at the same time, they should be infused, integrated, intentional, and purposeful. I mean, I remember I was kind of looked down upon. It's like you walk in here and there's always music, or I would have classical music playing at my Title 1 school and it's like, "Well, the kids don't like that." I'm like, "Well, they may have not been exposed to it. I bet you they're don't like it now." And when I had children be able to pick the music that they wanted to hear, it would be classical and Beethoven, right? Amongst the current music, but yes, like I really appreciate that you are already, as you can hear, Dr. Severns, y'all, she's already giving us those tips and tricks with "just smile more, have some music playing when students come in, so she's already sharing that.

[00:18:14] Ana Torres: Now. I'd love for us to spend kind of the remainder of our time thinking about how our listeners can bring more joy and laughter into their own teaching lives, because I do think there are listeners who are feeling like the teachers felt at the school that you gave us that anecdote about. We actually wanted, it sounds like they needed to have permission to do that, Tracey, right? 

[00:18:39] Tracey Severns: Yes. And you know what I did? I actually created a permission slip. I created a permission slip that said, "you have permission to laugh. You have permission to experience joy." Because sometimes, you know, especially when I've worked with elementary teachers, they say like, "We're rule followers and we're afraid if the principal walks by and we're laughing, we're going to get in trouble." And what we needed to do was to make sure that people understood that we can do both.

[00:19:06] Tracey Severns: And people need to be told that, you know, I'm a big fan of Brené Brown. And she says, "Clear is kind." And when we're clear with each other, it is so powerful that this is a good thing. And I understand that when you have a joyous classroom, you have a learning classroom. 

[00:19:24] Ana Torres: Exactly. Exactly. That should be a T-shirt, right?

[00:19:28] Tracey Severns: Yes .

[00:19:29] Ana Torres: We could create a line of fashion, you and me. Joy, laughter. Learning happens when you have that. Now, Tracey, what about that teacher, that introverted teacher, that might be in their head or thinking, "How do I do this?" Right? In a way that really helps students achieve those lofty educational goals?

[00:19:50] Ana Torres: How can I bring joy and laughter into my classroom? Let's start with things that can often stand in the way of that and how to get around them. 

[00:19:59] Tracey Severns: Well, yeah. One is that whole mindset that I need to be serious. Right? That whole, like, "We don't smile until Christmas." You know, I think that we're working with a lot of people who are wounded in different ways, and I think that learning and love, I've always said the way to the head is through the heart. When kids believe that you care about them, they're willing to take academic risks and learn from you. 

[00:20:22] Ana Torres: Great. 

[00:20:22] Tracey Severns: So there needs to be that sense of connection. And I think we can connect with kids in lots of ways. Like here's a simple way. You just simply invite kids to check in because the simplest way to create connection is to look at someone in their beautiful face and say, "How are you today?" And take them in and listen. So we can start a lesson with just a simple check-in. "How're you doing today, friends? Scholars? How're you doing today?" And it doesn't have to hijack the lesson. If somebody's down, we can check in with them. But it's important to know. So a check-in is one way.

[00:20:58] Tracey Severns: How about like even fun, little pleasant surprises. Even something like when we're doing our reading groups, we're going to be outside today. Many kids long to be outside and just experience the fresh air. Even things like assignments, my favorite how-to essay. Right? Did you ever teach the how-to essay? 

[00:21:19] Ana Torres: Oh gosh, yes. 

[00:21:21] Tracey Severns: Right? Okay. It was: How to Annoy a Teacher.

[00:21:24] Tracey Severns: It was hilarious. Oh my gosh. These were the funniest essays I have ever read in my whole life. How about this? Many times teachers have class jobs. And this is important because today particularly, people want to know they're making a contribution, that being in school matters, that we miss you when you're not here.

[00:21:47] Tracey Severns: Here's two jobs that even the most introverted teacher can set up. Ready? One is a greeter. Someone who stands at the door and speaks the names of the people who pass through When people say our names, our whole brain lights up. Right? Say my name. Say my name, say... right? 

[00:22:05] Ana Torres: Say my name. She even sings y'all. 

[00:22:09] Tracey Severns: And another is a smile starter. A student who brings in something that is appropriately funny. It's just something to kick our day off in a positive way. We talked about music, you know, Pharrell, I dare anyone to listen to Pharrell's "Happy," and not move.

[00:22:29] Tracey Severns: And the kids can suggest those songs as well. 

[00:22:32] Ana Torres: We created a whole talent show skit with that song.

[00:22:35] Tracey Severns: Yes! It's great!

[00:22:36] Ana Torres: Because I'm happy. 

[00:22:37] Tracey Severns: It's the best. Another tool that you can use to get input from the kids is a tool that I've used, it's called a MOLOSA. Now, it's not a mimosa. That's what we're going to have after the podcast, right?

[00:22:53] Ana Torres: Exactly. 

[00:22:54] Tracey Severns: So a MOLOSA is an acronym. The top would say, what could we [00:23:00] do to make our classroom a place of joy and laughter? And then it's MO is more of, less of, same as. MO, more of, less of, same as. And it's a way to invite kids to have input. Now, just because they ask for it doesn't mean they get it.

[00:23:18] Tracey Severns: If the less of is never doing work, never doing, you know, that's not... But they often have really good ideas about what we could do, and then they become part of elevating the mood and that morale. I think we all need to do our part in addressing ADD. Stay with me, ADD. Right? Appreciation deficit disorder.

[00:23:41] Ana Torres: Appreciation deficit.

[00:23:43] Tracey Severns: Yes, ma'am.

[00:23:44] Ana Torres: So I love the reframing of this new acronym. I love that. Love that. 

[00:23:49] Tracey Severns: Yes. It is so important because people need to be just acknowledged, recognized. We all want it and need it. Let's just see each other, smile at each other, and realize every day, every day you make a choice.

[00:24:04] Tracey Severns: You decide whether to go on a witch hunt or a treasure hunt, and my promise to you is you will always find what you're looking for. You know, when you walk through school, you can look at and for what's good in getting better or what's bad in getting worse. Why not look at and for the good? There's so much that's positive in our schools and when we keep our attitude positive, when we keep joy in our heart, when we look for the best in others and not the worst, we find it. And then that shapes our own experience. 

[00:24:40] Ana Torres: I love the, and you can even call them small surprises. That just simple act of just going outside and having students, you know, breathe some fresh air.

[00:24:49] Ana Torres: But can I tell you what the one that really spoke to me is—and I had a classroom greeter—but I love the smile starter! Right? Because you can literally know, you know, that little grumpy kid comes in with the grumpy, you know, how did that turn the frown upside down kind of thing. I would've loved to have someone be that smile starter.

[00:25:10] Ana Torres: Like you are the one that's, and have that kind of rotate to different students. So I really appreciate that. But more importantly, I love the MOLOSA, right? More of, less of, same as, an allowing students to have a say in creating that classroom environment of joy and laughter. Now, you also did mention...

[00:25:30] Tracey Severns: Can I mention one thing?

[00:25:32] Ana Torres: You can. 

[00:25:32] Tracey Severns: I just have to squeeze this in. 

[00:25:34] Ana Torres: Go ahead. Squeeze it in. 

[00:25:35] Tracey Severns: The MOLOSA and the smile starter? 

[00:25:38] Ana Torres: Yes. 

[00:25:38] Tracey Severns: Consider this. What about having those, using those in our PLCs, in our department meetings? In our faculty meetings. Because you know what? 

[00:25:45] Ana Torres: Practice what you preach, right? 

[00:25:46] Tracey Severns: Yes, yes. The adults need to look at and for the good. We need to tell the positive stories.

[00:25:51] Ana Torres: Any final strategies or even words of advice for educators 

[00:25:54] Ana Torres: into bringing more joy and or humor in the classroom, Tracey? 

[00:25:58] Tracey Severns: I would say that it would be  this, to believe that you are not victims of your clientele or your circumstance. That you can choose. You can make different choices. You can, as I said, look for the good, or you can look for the bad. You can choose to smile or you can choose to be brought down by the people around you. But there's so many people I meet who, who act as if this is their, I don't know, sentence. It, it doesn't have to be. We can lift each other up and we can make schools magical places where everyone feels known, noticed, valued, and loved.

[00:26:32] Ana Torres: Wow. You are not a victim of your clientele or your circumstances. We make the choice. Now. We're going to close out and so, and have a little bit more fun and continue on this journey of joy and laughter. And this is kind of a new segment. I'm excited to do this with you. We're calling it the Wisdom Nugget segment, and we're going to see how many of these questions that you know, you can do in about two minutes, Dr. Severns. So we're looking for short answers here, okay?

[00:27:04] Tracey Severns: Alright. I'm ready. I'm ready. Go. 

[00:27:05] Ana Torres: If you weren't an educator, what would you do for work? 

[00:27:07] Tracey Severns: I would have an ice cream truck and I would drive just a little faster than the kids could run. 

[00:27:13] Ana Torres: I'm not surprised by that answer. 

[00:27:14] Tracey Severns: Okay.

[00:27:14] Ana Torres: What's one resource article, a podcast, a book that you really recommend for educators?

[00:27:18] Tracey Severns: Hmm. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called, Beyond My Years.

[00:27:22] Ana Torres: Oh, wow. I, and look that was so sweet. Tell us the name of a mentor teacher, and one quality that made them a great mentor. 

[00:27:29] Tracey Severns: Susan Dinges. Here's what made her different, she showed me how. So many times people will tell you the what. They'll emphasize the why. You know what? We all need to know how, and she showed me how. 

[00:27:41] Ana Torres: And you showed us how today and how to infuse joy and laughter. Now, whiteboard or smartboard? 

[00:27:47] Tracey Severns: Smartboard.

[00:27:47] Ana Torres: Color printed copies forever or an in-classroom laminator? 

[00:27:49] Tracey Severns: Color all day. 

[00:27:50] Ana Torres: What about slow Wi-Fi or no Wi-Fi? 

[00:27:51] Tracey Severns: Hmm. No, I'd rather have no than slow. 

[00:27:53] Ana Torres: Small-group or direct instruction?

[00:27:54] Tracey Severns: Oh, small-group. 

[00:27:54] Ana Torres: Surprise fire drill during your best lesson or technology completely failing during an observation? 

[00:27:59] Tracey Severns: Oh. Oh man! I'll go with the fire drill.

[00:28:01] Ana Torres: Yeah. Same.

[00:28:01] Tracey Severns: You can always recover, right? That's it. 

[00:28:03] Ana Torres: Exactly. What book has contributed to you the most for teaching? 

[00:28:07] Tracey Severns: Well, for teaching, it's a classic, but I'm going to go with it. Harry Wong's First Days of School. To me, there was no better primer. But a book that has really been probably the most loaned in my personal and professional career is Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. Ah, but listen, I'd be remiss if I didn't drop the name of my own book, Mistakes, Missteps, Missed Opportunities.

[00:28:28] Tracey Severns: So that's a great book as well. And our last one on tough days, what reminds you of why you're passionate about teaching, I keep a folder called Why I Do This Crazy Job? 

[00:28:39] Tracey Severns: That's what it actually says on the tab, and I put in that folder cards and notes and emails and everything that says, "you make a difference." You're changing the learning lives of kids and their parents and colleagues and I would recommend to every teacher you have to have that folder because some days you need to be reminded of your impact. 

[00:28:59] Ana Torres: That's a great folder to have. Great folder to have.

[00:29:02] Tracey Severns: Yes.

[00:29:02] Ana Torres: Alright, Tracey, that's all we have time for. As you know, we could probably have a conversation all day.

[00:29:08] Tracey Severns: Yes. Oh yeah.

[00:29:08] Ana Torres: You were amazing. Now before we go, we do like to give our guests a chance to give a shout out to their home district or a district that's close to your heart. Anyone you want to quickly shout out? 

[00:29:20] Tracey Severns: I'd like to just mention Mount Olive. So much of my career was in Mount Olive. That was when I feel was really the peak of my, I loved being the principal of Mount Olive Middle School. We had 1,200 kids, and it was joyous and difficult and sometimes sad and frustrating and exhilarating and all those things, but it felt so raw and so real, and so meaningful.

[00:29:42] Ana Torres: Well, Tracey, thank you so much for your time today. You've actually infused joy and laughter in my day, and so I'm sure that you did that for our audience as well. Thank you so much for today. 

[00:29:53] Tracey Severns: I hope so, and thank you for having me. All the best.

[00:29:56] Ana Torres: Thank you so much.

[00:29:57] Tracey Severns: Keep smiling!

[00:29:58] Ana Torres: Oh yes. Here we are. Here, Here we have smiles. Thanks, Tracey.

[00:30:01] Tracey Severns: That was Dr. Tracey Severns. Check out the show notes for links to learn more about Tracey and to her book, Mistakes, Missteps, Missed, Opportunities. 

[00:30:09] Ana Torres: Now let's bring back Classroom Insider Eric Cross.

[00:30:11] Ana Torres: Well, all right, classroom Insider Eric Cross. What did you think? Are you still convinced that joy, laughter are super important in our classrooms? 

[00:30:19] Eric Cross: Yeah, more than ever. And one of the things I appreciated is just how many practical steps were given in that. In addition, it was, I was laughing while, while you were going, like she's quick. Your back and forth was great. But the practical steps that anybody can do that's going to make the learning environment for students just feel better and more enjoyable. 

[00:30:39] Ana Torres: I'd love to know what your takeaways from Dr. Severns were. 

[00:30:42] Eric Cross: Yeah, the first one I think, is reframing your perspective to reframe your experience. Or another way of saying it is, situation plus response equals experience. And so I can't control the situation. I can control my response and that's going to dictate my experience. And so the way we interpret our circumstances shapes how we respond to them. So when we view students not as difficult, but of those who challenge us to be our best, which is something that she said, I was like, "Ooh, that was good."

[00:31:10] Eric Cross: We switch from frustration to growth when we see it that way. And there was another thing that she said about, you can go on a witch hunt or a treasure hunt, and I guarantee you'll always find what you're looking for. And that's so true.

[00:31:25] Ana Torres: Right. And I do appreciate that she used the word challenge as she was telling us the story of the students who were challenging.

[00:31:32] Ana Torres: And so reframing her perspective allowed her to see those children in a different way and reframe what she was going to do in the classroom. And that was, of course, bringing that joy and laughter that created great results.

[00:31:45] Ana Torres: Now, I know that wasn't your only takeaway, Eric, right? 

[00:31:48] Eric Cross: Oh yeah. I'm always, you know, I'm always in the minds of the podcasts looking for those, looking for those gems. And this one you, I didn't have to dig much. You just dropped them. So the next one was, empower students to co-create joyful environments. This, one of the things I love is giving students agency and making this student-centered, which could be hard for teachers. And so letting students actively shape the classroom mood and culture. One of the tools she gave was the MOLOSA—more of, less of, same as the chart. I'm definitely doing that. The other one is classroom jobs. Like I love the idea of, what was it? The smile, the smile starter?

[00:32:27] Ana Torres: The smile starter and greeter. That was like, for me, the one that I'm like, wow, I've had so many different ones. But that one stood out and I'm so glad that it stood out for you. 

[00:32:38] Eric Cross: Well, that's something that I try to do as a teacher, but I've never really thought about having a student do that or having students rotate doing that and what that can do for creating classroom culture, 'cause you're building an essential skill with that. Interpersonal skills is being welcoming and greeting for somebody. And oftentimes we put students in situations where they need to have, for instance, okay, assigned seatings in class. They need to learn how to work together with different people. Yeah, but are you explicitly teaching that or are you just putting them with different people?

[00:33:10] Eric Cross: Like the learning doesn't happen naturally, right? And so give them opportunities to be able to develop and work out those skills. One of my students said to me, "Mr. Cross, you're so aesthetic." And I was like, "What is it? What do you mean?" And she said, "Whenever, when we have like lessons or you're doing projects, you have like music when we come in and all of the boards have different images and the music is like, it could be intense," or when we were doing metabolism, I had like the EKG beeps, you know, like the heart, like beeps in the hospital. And then I had like the meter on the screen. Or different smells in the classroom. And I actually learned this from doing the trip to Disney where they use all five senses to immerse you. And I was like, what if we did that with learning experiences? Like you might not be the funniest person, but you can make your environment feel like we're about to learn about flying today, so we're going to have clouds on the board and you know, joysticks all kinds of different things that you can do. 

[00:34:15] Ana Torres: I love that, the Mr. Cross, you're so aesthetic, and not realizing that you were. Those were intentional components that you were creating. And see the children remember that. So yeah, that smile starter, greeter was like a big takeaway for me. So, great tips that she gave.

[00:34:30] Ana Torres: And I know Eric, for those of you who listened to Season 1, you know Eric does not stop at two. So I know that there is a third takeaway there somewhere, Mr. Cross? 

[00:34:41] Eric Cross: Yeah, if we had time, there'd probably be like five, but we're going to just, I'm going to limit it to this. And this is what I thought was really essential, is to own your growth by seeking out the training and the tools that you need. And, when you're an educator or you're in anything and you're really trying to get after it and grow, if you wait for professional development or things that will make you better come to you, it may never come. It may not be the focus of your district, it may not be the focus of your administration.

[00:35:15] Eric Cross: If this is an area where you want to grow, this is something where you need to seek out those things. And this is something that Tracey did. She was actively engaged in equipping herself. She took comedy classes because she wanted to get better. She's like, I'm not funny. Okay. Google Comedy. I Googled comedy classes in San Diego, just to see what would come up, and there's all these improv classes that popped up. She was reading books on it. She was reading the research, to which there's a ton of research on this. And again, assertively going after wanting to improve this aspect of her teaching. And I think probably more than anything, especially in this day and age, when we have students who are constantly engaged in digital media, we find ourselves having [00:36:00] to edutain.

[00:36:00] Eric Cross: We can bemoan it all we want. And we could say like, "Hey, ah, they should just focus and I'm going to teach." Good luck having a really engaged classroom with that, like times have shifted and empathize.

[00:36:13] Eric Cross: Think about your experience at your last professional development or your last training. What, made the training great. And what made the training kind of like, you're checking your watch all the time, you know?

[00:36:24] Eric Cross: And it's the same for our students. What are those little things we can implement to really increase engagement? And when we increase engagement, we know, as you mentioned, and as she mentioned as well, there's a lot of data that supports that deeper learning happens.

[00:36:39] Ana Torres: And that, I think is the key. There's research out there. I know some of us feel like we intuitively know that that is important, but the data shows. So, just to recap your three takeaways. Number one, reframe your perspective to reframe your experience. That was so powerful. Number two, empower students to co-create joyful environments. Bring those students in to help set the tone for your classroom. And then of course, the third, which you found to be one of the most important ones, is own your growth by seeking out training and tools you need. You don't have to become a stand-up comic to do this, but knowing that there are tools out there.

[00:37:15] Ana Torres: So Eric, thank you so much for taking the time. It's always good to chat with you. 

[00:37:20] Eric Cross: It's great to chat with you too, Ana. It was a great episode. 

[00:37:24] Ana Torres: All right. Until the next time. Take care. 

[00:37:26] Eric Cross: You too.

[00:37:26] Ana Torres: Thanks for listening to Beyond My Years from Amplify. Next time, Dan Meyer is joining me to talk about another key classroom challenge: How to engage students in math. 

[00:37:35] Eric Cross: The idea that I found was to back up away from the precise and formal math and instead tap into their more intuitive and concrete skills, where every kid can have a different right answer.

[00:37:46] Ana Torres: That's coming up in two weeks. One last exciting Season 2 update: We have revamped our website and filled it with some free resources, especially designed to help you extend your reach. One of the resources up there right now, Science of Reading: A New Teacher's Guide, is a must see for anyone looking to bolster their literacy instruction.

[00:38:05] Ana Torres: You can find that guide, other resources, transcripts, and past episodes at our website, amplify.com/beyondmyyears. I'm your host, Ana Torres. Our Classroom Insider is Eric Cross. Our music is by Andrew Smolin. 

[00:38:16] Ana Torres: Until next time, please remember to reach out and say thank you to a seasoned educator who has shaped your life.