This book proves that schools can and should be places where students enjoy coming—spaces where they connect with others, learn the beauty of humanity through trust, and allow joy to permeate learning and relationships. At a time when society is aching and divided, Tsai shares incredible strategies for the classroom that help foster environments of belonging and safety so that students can truly enter as vessels ready to learn. This book is vulnerable in many ways; we are conditioned to not view schools as joyful places, but Tsai models the vulnerability required by educators to break down walls of authority by sharing their authentic selves with students in order to build community, collective purpose, and pride. Most importantly, The Vital Role of Joy proves that joy is the pulse that keeps us going, and thus should not be isolated to the privileged, but made accessible to all: students and educators alike.