"How can we take that same relevance, that same motivation and bring it into the classroom? We're still stuck in the one room schoolhouse with the school marm, just trying to make you recite stuff."
-Tauvia Harrigan
Your teachers are burned out. Again.
Student engagement dropped 23% this year, and you're watching talented educators walk away from classrooms they once loved. Sound familiar?
Here's what most administrators won't admit: We're still running schools like it's 1950, expecting 2025 kids to sit still and recite facts. Meanwhile, these same kids navigate smartphones better than we navigate our email.
But Tauvia Harrigan, Principal of Earl Frost Elementary in San Jose, cracked the code. Her school serves 300 students speaking 14 different languages, with 36% qualifying for free lunch. Yet test scores are soaring, teachers are staying, and kids literally run to school.
Her secret? A deceptively simple formula she calls "Love, Laughter & Learning" – paired with what she calls the "3 M's" that would make most school boards squirm.
The Principal Who Thanks MySpace and Assassin's Creed
Let's start with Harrigan's most unconventional teaching moment. Her dyslexic son struggled with reading for years. Traditional methods failed spectacularly.
Then MySpace launched. Suddenly, her son wanted to write messages and read posts – because girls were on MySpace. "I thank God for the creators of Assassin's Creed," Harrigan laughs. The video game required extensive reading to advance levels, and her son devoured every word.
Her first breakthrough: Stop teaching like it's 1950.
Most educators resist this reality. We expect kids to learn the same way we did, forgetting that their brains are literally wired differently. Harrigan's grandson operates her phone better than she does – and he's in elementary school.
The Love, Laughter, Learning Philosophy That Changes Everything
Harrigan's approach is deceptively simple. She calls it "LLL"—Love, Laughter, and Learning.
But here's what makes it work: she treats love as the foundation, not the fluff.
But love alone isn't enough. Harrigan's next principle sounds obvious but requires surgical precision: If it's not fun, kids won't learn.
She works with teachers to examine every lesson through a child's eyes: Is this fun? Exciting? Stimulating? Because bored brains literally shut off. Research backs this up – when students are bored, learning stops. Period.
Why She Throws VIP Parties for First-Graders (And You Should Too)
Here's where Harrigan gets controversial. While educational purists insist all motivation should be intrinsic, she believes you sometimes need extrinsic rewards to spark intrinsic drive.
"Some people believe that all motivation should be intrinsic. I agree we should have intrinsic motivation, but sometimes we have to stoke intrinsic motivation first with extrinsic motivation."
Enter the VIP parties.
Students set goals. Hit the goals, get invited to exclusive VIP parties with special wristbands, treats, and toys. The message: When you work hard and achieve goals, you get rewarded immediately – not in 20 years.
The magic happens next. Initially, kids chase the party. But eventually, they get hooked on achievement itself.
One first-grader ran up to Harrigan beaming: "Miss Harrigan, I met my goal. I jumped 26 points on my i-Ready reading." He wasn't asking about the party – he was high on success.
"He's gotten hooked on that dopamine, that serotonin drip that comes from success. That's what I want my kids to leave elementary school knowing: I can be successful and it feels good."
The Data Meetings That Don't Suck (Her Genius Hack)
Harrigan's secret weapon? Making data analysis fun. Yes, really.
Teachers resist data review because it feels overwhelming and depressing. But Harrigan has a solution that sounds ridiculous and works perfectly:
Why? Because happy people learn better than grumpy people. And data sometimes makes people grumpy.
"You cannot have a super effective anything if you refuse to look at the data."
She applies the same 3 M's framework to both students and staff:
- Mindset: "You are able" (to teach, to learn, to succeed)
- Motivation: VIP parties for kids, slime-making for teachers
- Monitoring: Constant data review, but make it fun
The Reality Check Every Education Leader Needs
Even with infectious energy, Harrigan faces pushback. One teacher told her she was "a little too much" happy.
Her response reveals her core leadership philosophy: Always return to the "why."
The alternative? "I would much rather see them there than watching more of my tax money go to house them in prison. Those are choices. They're either gonna take care of us or we're gonna take care of them forever."
Her workshop message to teachers: "Happiness is a choice."
Not just a reaction to external circumstances, but an internal decision. For students dealing with divorce, incarcerated parents, or abuse, school might be their only stability.
Her advice for aspiring administrators? "It is very time consuming. Make sure your house is in order because it's not a nine to five. But make sure that love is your base. And choose to be happy."
Harrigan's approach works because it's honest about 21st-century reality. Love creates the foundation. Laughter facilitates learning. Strategic motivation builds habits. And constant monitoring (with slime) drives results.
Choose love. Choose laughter. Choose learning. And maybe throw a VIP party or two.
