Get Some Joy in January!

January 21, 2026

By: Anna Hazard, The Character Effect™ Specialist

Finding joy in January can sound like toxic positivity, a stretch goal, and something completely unrealistic all rolled into one, but here at The Character Effect, we have some thoughts to make joy in January not just possible, but entirely reachable.

Everything we do is rooted in three Natural Strengths Practices (NSPs). NSPs are grounded in positive psychology, which focuses on our ability to learn skills that increase our wellbeing. One way to break the science of wellbeing into bite sized pieces is to use the PERMAH model, which identifies six elements that contribute to overall wellbeing. Let’s start at the beginning with P: Positive Emotions. In episode #257 of The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast (“Bringing Joy into Our Schools”), Dr. Gholdy Muhammad encourages teachers

to see themselves as artists, leaving an imprint on the life of each student they work with.

Dr. Muhammad also shares that joy starts with us, and that if we know how to make ourselves smile, then we also have the power to ignite the spark of learning and purpose in our students every day. When we bring more joy into our day and our schools, we are ramping up this first step in the PERMAH model.

Why does joy matter?

When we foster moments and experiences of joy in the classroom, students begin to feel safe enough to take risks and ask questions, which greatly enhances their learning experience. Joy can bring higher levels of motivation and engagement, deepen critical thinking skills, and boost confidence as students take on more complicated work.

Experiencing joy improves more than just classroom life: when we feel joy as we learn, our social and emotional skills deepen, our curiosity and resilience increase, and we are better able to navigate life’s challenges.

Here are three great ways to begin seeking joy—both for yourself and for your students and colleagues.

1. Look for the Good: Strength Spot someone in your circle! When we take time to notice something good, we train our brain to keep looking for great things. Spreading the love by telling someone how awesome they are is even better. All it takes is a quick text or comment at lunch: “Hey! I love the way you use your strength of Teamwork to keep us all on track during staff meetings—it’s really helpful in moving things along so we can all get a second coffee break before the students come into our rooms!”

2. Savoring the Good: Take a minute to think of something that happened in the last week that made you smile. Recall as many sensory details about that moment as possible (who was there, were there specific smells or sounds, what emotions you felt) to put yourself in that moment as concretely as possible. Bask in that moment for 30-60 seconds, reliving the goodness. When we savor the good, we are rewiring our brains to recall positive things more easily, which is a huge help in combating our negativity bias.

3. Make a Plan: Do something that makes you smile! This won’t be one-size-fits-all. Something that makes you smile can range from extra journaling time to planning a special surprise for your students. Whatever you decide, be intentional about it, and set a specific plan to make it happen: “I’m going to tell one joke at the beginning of each lesson for a week and see if it brings up the mood in the room.”

Remember: Joy shouldn’t be optional! When we are joyful, we elevate everything and everyone around us. You have the power to bring a smile to someone’s day, and that is something to be joyful about.