JLN focuses on bringing joy to the learning process by creating an active community of educators, parents, community members, students, and organizations who share resources, ideas, and advocacy.
We believe that to successfully improve learning in our schools, and achieve a much higher level of school satisfaction and societal happiness, we must change the way we think about teaching and learning.
Joyful learning is based on community, engagement, interest, meaning, love, creativity, appreciation, and fun. American ideals like freedom, diversity, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence are at the heart of joyful learning.
At about the same time as the U.S. school system began its hyper-focus on standards and accountability, evidence began to accumulate within business, psychology, and the social sciences that people and organizations are not motivated solely by the crude logic of punishment and rewards. Joyful learning represents both a far more effective way to teach and learn traditional content and an important value unto itself.
We find hope for joyful learning in the many resources that have been underplayed in the current reform movement. At this moment in history:
State and federal government have never valued education this highly
We have never had this many highly trained and educated teachers
Parents at all income levels recognize the value of education and are more involved in educational decisions than ever before
Philanthropic giving for education is at an all time high
Scientific knowledge about learning, content areas, and people is at a peak
The United States is the most ethnically and culturally diverse it's ever been
NOW is the time for Joyful Learning!
This is the movement that can capture the energy and resources of the moment to revolutionize schools in the United States and the world. This is not a top down solution. Governments have never been very effective at mandating joy. This is about all of us together bringing joy to millions of students every day.
Not only are there dozens of organizations working on joyful learning in many different ways, there are literally millions of people who value joyful learning for themselves or for their children. By taking action every day with the way we teach and learn, and by committing to be a part of the greater joyful learning community in which we share ideas, support each other, and advocate together, we can bring joy to our schools.
