When I recently surveyed our District Behavior Team members about what makes them happy, several similar themes were mentioned--family, music, positive touch (cuddles and such), favorite pastimes (sports), and food. We then discussed how often we see those things in classrooms each day. How can we bring more joy to our students while still challenging them academically? Play music and let them sing their hearts out--I love being near Mrs. Rankin's room at Sterling because they are always jamming to a fun pop song. Give hugs freely--fear has lessened our use of positive touch and now we have more and more students who do not know how to give or accept positive touch so we must teach them appropriately. Plus, touch is a basic human need so let's help meet that! High fives, fist pumps, shoulder squeezes all work! Pastimes/Sports/Likes: whatever happened to show and tell? That is a great way for kids to share about things they love outside of school. They are given a special time to talk about their passions and likes. Food: we get more and more limited on allowing food at school but many of our students are starving. Lack of food at home is a serious problem--more than I think we understand sometimes. Other times, students take medications that significantly increase their hunger. They constantly crave food which may appear as a behavior issue. Hanger is real! Family: I feel like opportunities for parents to participate in the classrooms has dwindled some with more academic pressures and schedule changes. Yet, most people list family and friends as the number one source of happiness. Even just a picture of loved ones can bring a smile to your face which is exactly how Mrs. Rinne at MG focuses on the family in her Little Tigers classroom. It can be as easy as "Family" bulletin board filled with pictures!