Affirming and Sustaining Joy in the Life Work of National Teachers of the Year

Teachers enter the field of teaching with high ideals, but are confronted with challenging expectations. Many teachers experience burnout and succumb to professional disenchantment (Palmer, 1998). Others, however, find ways to sustain their commitments to education. We postulate that one key dimension perpetuating the sustenance of these commitments comes through joy. Delores Liston defines joy as the unifying experience of recognizing the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual interconnections of ourselves as human beings (Liston, 2001). This proposed presentation presents our search for joy through an exploration into the lives of three National Teachers of the Year. Stories are offered with the intent of helping teachers continue to travel through "humanly impossible days" (Ayers, 2004, p. 119) with dignity and self-worth.