Have you seen the trailer for the NEW Superman movie yet?

Keen-eyed viewers will catch all kinds of deep cuts and cameos from the comics: Krypto the Super-Dog! Mr. Terrific! Guy Gardner Green Lantern! Metamorpho!

More important, however, is the overall message of HOPE. Things in that trailer certainly appear bleak for Superman, but that’s when his true heroism shines the most. You can read more about the movie’s themes of hope and unity here.

Or just look at the film’s first official poster below:

Speaking of “Looking Up,” this topic got me looking up resources on the role of HOPE in teaching and learning. Teachers can find some fascinating studies, scholarship, and strategies, starting with these:

“The Students Keep Me Hopeful”: Teacher Hope During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Suzanne Jones, LeAnn Putney, Brett Campbell, and Max Longhurst – A 2023 study of over two hundred K-12 teachers following the pandemic. In addition to examining various obstacles and challenges, the researchers found common traits among hopeful and resilient teachers: willpower, “waypower,” agency, administrative support, and more.

“The Disposition of Hope in Teaching” by Carrie Birmingham – A pre-COVID writing from 2009, but a useful analysis of the interdependence among “motivation, orientation, and disposition” toward hope. I’m particularly fond of the section on disciplined inquiry and the role of ongoing learning: “An orientation toward disciplined inquiry supports hope by seeking new possibilities and standing against the mistaken belief that existing school practices and conditions are given and unchangeable” (p. 36)

Finally, here are two Edutopia essays chockfull of tips and tools teachers can use to help bring hope to their classrooms and students:

• 7 Ways to Infuse Your Curriculum with Hope by Heather Wolpert-Gawron
• In Schools, Finding Hope at a Hopeless Time by Nora Fleming

Both of these essays appeared during the pandemic shutdown. Still, I’d argue they are just as timely today. One time (~20 years ago), I asked a teaching colleague about the #1 thing their students needed to succeed. Her answer? HOPE.

So as you look ahead to next summer’s Superman movie, don’t forget to look up. And share that hope with your students, their families, and your colleagues.

Or, to quote the Birmingham essay (p. 38):

“As long as there are teachers and students, there will be hope: teachers’ hope in students and teachers’ hope in themselves to meet the challenges of their work.”