Teaching with Joy

The idea began with students leaning together around tables in a high school classroom, talking through their work as a steady hum of engaged, meaningful discussion filled the room. Music played as student teacher Matthew Taylor ’23. ’24M, a then-UNCW senior being observed in the classroom, moved from group to group, checking in, offering encouragement and making space for conversation. 

“It felt different,” said Robert Smith, a Watson College of Education professor who retired in 2025 after a 34-year career at UNCW. Smith has spent more than three decades supervising the next generation of educators. Observing Taylor struck Smith, but it wasn’t because of the content of the lesson plan. 

“In all my years, I’ve never seen an intern teach with joy. I looked at the standards, and the closest one is something like ‘creates a safe and respectful classroom environment,’” said Smith. “Safety matters, but there’s nothing about students being excited, uplifted, enthusiastic — about a teacher being welcoming and joyful.”

It was an observation that sparked a conversation that would soon grow into Teaching with Joy, a collaborative initiative blooming out of the Watson College of Education. The discussion between colleagues evolved into a network of educators exploring how joy can transform teaching and learning. 

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across North Carolina and the nation have grappled with rising chronic absenteeism, declining teacher retention and growing concerns about student engagement. 

“Students aren’t always feeling a compelling reason to come to school,” said Smith. “So, we started asking — what makes a classroom a place where students want to be?”

At Watson, Smith and fellow educator Denise Ousley-Exum began exploring that question with teachers who were already demonstrating a powerful connection with their students. They reached out to UNCW alumni working in classrooms across the region and invited them to the conversation. 

After a handful of teachers said yes, early conversations between a few veteran educators and freshly graduated teachers became the foundation of Teaching with Joy. 

“Joy is intentional. It’s not about being cheerful all the time. It’s about how you show up, how you connect with students and how you design learning, so students feel seen and valued.” -Denise Ousley-Exum, Associate Professor and Murphy Scholar

The group developed a simple framework that continues to guide the initiative: who you are, how you connect and how you teach. Together, these elements help create classrooms where students feel both emotionally and academically safe. 

During one classroom visit, students described that ideal environment in their own words. One student explained that they felt “safe to not know” in the classroom of one Watson graduate who “teaches with joy.” The teacher had created a place where it is okay to ask questions. For Ousley-Exum, this captures everything they hope to accomplish through Teaching with Joy. “If students feel ‘safe to not know,’ they’re willing to engage, to try and to learn,” she said.

Since the first teaching demonstration that inspired it all, Teaching with Joy has expanded beyond its original group of teachers. The monthly “Spark of Joy” gatherings bring together educators from across southeastern North Carolina and beyond. Workshops and presentations have reached more than 2,000 educators. 

“Teaching can be incredibly isolating,” said Ousley-Exum. “Community changes that. When teachers feel supported, they can sustain their passion for the work.”

As the initiative continues to grow, Smith and Ousley-Exum envision a future where Teaching with Joy expands to include school leaders, districts and educator preparation programs across North Carolina. Their goal is to reframe how schools think about success, not through test scores or policies alone, but through the daily experiences of teachers and students.

Because, as Smith observed in that first classroom, when joy is present, learning follows — and when students want to be there, everything changes.

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