It’s only spelled with an “a” for emphasis to lighten the mood. The purpose of this activity is to connect everyone in our busyness and observe how frequently or infrequently we, as a society, experience genuine happyness (also intentionally misspelled). The result is to start a group working together with positive feelings, which actually affects the brain’s ability to build relationships.
1. Open with remarks regarding how busy we all feel and how the work of teaching and learning seems to never have a limit.
2. Share an anecdote from your own life about something that was heard or experienced recently that gave you a genuine feel of happiness. Perhaps it was a cute kid comment that made you giggle, a Values.com commercial that made you feel a real smile and hope for humanity, or maybe it was a student’s experience that reminded you of why you teach (not the test prep part).
3. Have participants reach into their own hearts (though using that phrase may be too cheesy for a new group) and think of such an experience they recently had that made them experience genuine happiness.
4. In person, share out some of the best you heard to the whole group. Online, have participants vote with a survey to rate the “happiest” post.