Mayerson Academy’s Thriving Learning Communities program, along with other positive psychology efforts in education, was recently the subject of a Live Happy magazine article “Happy Schools Make Happy Children.”
In a time when teachers and administrators are under pressure to deliver proof of excellence through test scores, the promise of happier students coupled with improved academic performance is “an easy conversation to start,” says Jillian Darwish, president of the Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, which provides the Thriving Learning Communities program.
“There’s not an educator out there who doesn’t want to help others find their greatest potential,” she says. “That’s why they came to the field. They care about others. The notion of helping them do just that really speaks to educators.”
The article profiles several well-being efforts underway across the globe, including the positive character strengths taking hold through the Thriving Learning Communities work.
“This is not a program we give to teachers to give to their students,” Jillian says. “It begins with the teachers. As an educator, I’m going to find out, what are my personal strengths? How can I use those strengths to develop great teams? Once I’ve experienced that on a personal level, then I can start sharing it with my students.”
Visit Live Happy to read more about how happy children thrive in schools.