Genius, Joy and Love Summer Institute

An educator in search of...

Genius, Joy, and Love in education. My Name is LaVarr Stephens-Howling. I am a Middle School School Counselor with 8 years of experience. I am from Johnstown, Pa and currently work at Ryan Gloyer Middle School in The Seneca Valley School District. I am inspired to find ways to provide a school experience for all students to ensure they feel seen and heard within our school district.

The Genius, Joy and Love Summer Institute

GENIUS - It has been a great experience developing an understanding of the GENIUS that all children hold. I am leaving the institue truly believing that all students are geniuses and it is our role as educators to cultivate that GENIUS.

JOY- Talking about JOY is one thing, expericing it with like minded Educators is another! The experience has shown me the way through true learning and understanding is by experiencing JOYy in the work that we do. We must ensure that students feel JOY throughout their learning to enhance their understanding.

LOVE - Students have a need to feel loved. We must do that by ensuring that all students feel seen and heard through curriculum and extra learning opportunities.

Moving Forward

The Genius, Joy, and Love Institute has made a great impact on me as an educator. During the two-week institute, I have been challenged to think about Equity and Justice within the school setting and the role I play as an educator. The Institute challenged me to first think of all students as geniuses. To me this means to value all students for what they bring to my school. Additionally, when I think of students being geniuses, I see them as being capable and ready to learn at a high standard. I want to empower our students of color and students in marginalized groups to achieve at a high level while receiving the love and support needed from educators. My first goal is to continue to grow in my school counseling practices. In meeting with students, I will evaluate their level of joy and love they feel while in our school. Additionally, I will think of how teachers observe our students. Do teachers see all students as geniuses? Do teachers know what makes each individual student a genius? The interactions with students at the Institute showed me how important that connection with educators can be. I will continue to build strong relationships with students. My next goal is to use what I learned to help shape school Climate. I believe in centering joy as an importance in our school will aid in creating a school climate that feels safe and makes students want to learn. I would promote opportunities for teachers to promote joy within their classroom, as well as, school-wide programing that could do the same for the entire school. Additionally, I will promote love within my school. I will work with teachers are how to make connections with students and advocate for more time to do so. My final goal will be promoting student organizations that promote diversity and inclusion. Being an advisor to organizations is very important to me and I want to continue to give students the power to use their voices. Through this institute, I have learned to take programming the next level by designing projects that bring social consciousness and critical consciousness to the student’s awareness. Additionally, I have been empowered to promote critical thinking skills around equity and justice into student organizations through difficult conversations and discussions. Overall, The Genius, Joy, and Love Institute has inspired me to be a better educator by putting equity and justice in the forefront of the work that I do as a school counselor.