others and express their authentic
selves
Meaning making as a way to
understand the larger world
Classroom applications that
empower teachers to trust
themselves to create joyful
environments
Bridging research and practice
to nurture joyful reading
opportunities
And more!
This issue shares a sample of
what is possible when you embrace
joy, ignite curiosity and wonder, and
seize opportunities to shift literacy
teaching and learning. We hope you
will continue to be open and accepting
as you deepen your learning through
the joy in literacy.
Happy New Year!
EMBRACING JOYFUL
LEARNING
—Rhonda M. Sutton and
Tamera Slaughter
This issue shares
a sample of what
is possible when
you embrace joy,
ignite curiosity
and wonder, and
seize opportunities
to shift literacy
teaching and
learning.
FROM THE
GUEST EDITORS
he idea of joy in literacy instruction
stemmed from several ongoing
conversations we’ve been having
with educators. We noticed there
was a common theme that stood out
rather boldly, a thread of wanting to
reconnect with the joy of teaching
and the reality that teachers, leaders,
and students are overwhelmed,
exhausted, and anxious about what’s
to come with the reopening of schools.
We want this back-to-school
issue to put you in the mind-set of
joy. At the same time, we also want to
highlight the joy of diversity. In this
issue, the voices of educators of color
are centered as they reflect on the
theme of Joy in Literacy Instruction,
born from the following description
we developed:
Literacy is wondering.
With wondering comes feelings of
great pleasure and happiness along
with anticipation of discovery.
Instilling joy in literacy engages the
mind and heart so that one is
open and accepting without
expectation or attachment to
the wonders of learning and the
complexities of life.
We believe that tapping into the
place deep inside where the sun is
always shining and the knowledge
that everything is just as it is
supposed to be creates openness and
acceptance without expectation or
attachment.
In this issue, you will find
articles on the following:
Play as process for
experimentation and discovery
Authentic, real-world experiences
that create space for students to
develop understanding of self and
Rhonda M. Sutton (rmsutton
@trustyouconsulting.com),
CEO, lead consultant, and
professional certified coach
at Trust You Consulting,
and Tamera Slaughter
(tamera.slaughter@gmail
.com), a professional learning
facilitator and education
advocate, are the guest
editors of this issue of
Literacy Today.
Rhonda M. Sutton
Tamera Slaughter
3
literacyworldwide.org | July/August/September 2021 | LITERACY TODAY