I’m a reader and find great joy in books.  I also am someone who has always believed that the answer to any question I have ever had can be found in the pages of a book.  Great books for me have been a source of joy, relaxation and learning throughout my life.  As a school leader, I continually seek to find sources for my own personal leadership journey and look to relevant literature as a way to expand my own thinking.  Several years ago, I implemented a faculty/staff one book reading project to further expand our collective learning.  Over the years we’ve delved into a range of books, including Mindset by Carol Dweck, Sing a Rhythm Dance a Blues and Cultivating Joyful Learning Spaces for Black Girls, both by Dr. Monique Couvson.  Each book has taken us one step further in building our knowledge and expertise as educators.  

This year we read Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Unearthing Joy.  Each month at our full staff meeting, a group of our WSG team would present one chapter of the book, using interactive exercises, small and large group discussions and personal reflections as a way to draw connections between ourselves, our work at WSG and the topics presented in the chapter. Each meeting was different, as our team members identified creative and fun ways to bring the topics alive.  Dr. Muhammad’s book was written in a way that encouraged new ways of thinking and exploration, for instance each chapter started with a suggested playlist to accompany the chapter’s material based.  These playlists inspired us to form our own WSG faculty/staff playlist for songs that inspire joy in each of us and we play our own musical playlist in meetings.  Dr. Muhammad also closes each chapter with a meditative coloring page; a great reminder to always pause for a moment and reflect on what has just been presented, before moving on to the next thing.

I found our discussions to be instrumental to our collective journey of professional development.  We’ve reflected on how we approach social justice change in our classrooms, brainstormed pathways to expanding our curriculum and classroom lessons to connect more with the genius in all of our students, and explored additional celebration of our students and their learning.  We’ve also added to our collective vocabulary and understanding of what it means to truly center our students to create a school environment that evokes joy, belonging and a desire for achievement.

I believe that a common reading throughout a school community with dedicated time for discussion can provide an important platform for staff growth.  At WSG, we hold monthly all staff meetings that bring together teachers, administrators and support staff. Since we are in our own roles each day within the school, the monthly whole staff meetings provide an important time to connect with each other, discuss important issues related to school operations, but also a time for us to build and strengthen the important team we form in serving our students.  The community reading of the book then provides a needed spark for our growth. 

Unearthing Joy specifically allowed us to engage more deeply with thought leadership on culturally and historically responsive teaching.  It stimulated us to generate ideas to enhance our work at WSG.  It provoked great conversation and also provided moments of peaceful reflection, despite a very busy school year.  I have found this all to be a valuable part of our professional growth and look forward to choosing a new book selection for the upcoming school year.