The Audacity of Joy

Posted Date: 04/26/2022

I had the pleasure of addressing an amazing group of Michigan education leaders in Ann Arbor earlier this week on concepts from my new book Tangible Equity, reflecting on our common duty to make equity real at the classroom level through critical thinking.   In my closing, I recognized that we have so much going on: Deadlines, mandates, and all the extras that make “one more thing” syndrome one of the more ubiquitous challenges today. So, if we do nothing else, let’s focus on this one thing: Mandating Joy.   This is a radical concept, this notion that kids should be able to laugh and learn at the same time. It felt amazing to hear the inspirational Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent of Ithaca City School District, follow my remarks by sharing that his team’s evaluation process included walking around classrooms and checking on smiles. Are teachers smiling? Are students smiling? Because so often, the students who need the most smiles receive the least.   My hope is that no matter what you do, you recognize the audacity of joy, and the radical impact a joyful approach to this work can have on the lives of young people. Because it is not enough to love this work. Love can be hard, arduous and painful. To sustain ourselves when everything around us seems unsustainable, prioritizing a joyful love is always worth it.             - Colin   Join the Critical Thinking Revolution!   Partner highlight - Grace James Academy   After an exciting in-person kick-off to the thinkLaw Tangible Equity professional learning series last fall and powerful, but practical virtual workshops throughout the year, thinkLaw’s Founder & CEO, Colin Seale, was excited to return to Louisville, Kentucky to see educators in action at Grace James Academy. Continue Reading     Summer the easy way!     For teachers and students alike, the grind of summer learning is a missed opportunity to enrich, engage, and enlighten. It's the perfect time to integrate thinkLaw's engaging critical thinking curriculum and project-based learning extensions to help summer school teachers deliver engaging instruction with powerful, but practical critical thinking tools.  Request your quote now to partner with thinkLaw this summer!   5 ways to hack test prep with critical thinking   What if you could engage students in rigorous and engaging learning activities AND ensure they were prepared for exams that have become increasingly challenging over time? It turns out that hacking test prep with critical thinking is not only feasible, but necessary. Continue Reading Bulk Book Purchases Available Here!   Official release of Tangible Equity is coming May 27. Pre-order your copy today! Colin Seale's 2nd book, Tangible Equity, is available for pre-order. We're so excited to see the impact this will have after the great reception to his 1st best-seller, Thinking Like A Lawyer. Move beyond the "why" of equity and learn what it actually looks like in the classroom. This powerful book shows how you can overcome barriers and create sustainable pathways to realizing equity for your students. Continue Reading Renew or Expand Our Partnership!   Have you renewed or expanded our partnership?   Working with you has been an absolute pleasure - we value our partnership and can’t wait to continue our work together.  We look forward to supporting you year round to ensure that our kids have access to the best critical thinking instruction and equity at the classroom level. Join the Critical Thinking Revolution! Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn