Mary Kay Morrison is a teacher who has taught at virtually every level of the educational spectrum while facilitating keynote presentations and workshop sessions for the past thirty years. Her work includes integrating what we know about cognitive research on the emotions (particularity humor) and movement to classroom application.
In addition to humor and stress management, Mary Kay frequently conducts seminars on brain research, leadership, ADHD, group facilitation, parenting, and mentoring. Mary Kay is founder and director of Humor Quest. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) and was the 2010 conference chair.
In 2009, she founded and directed the international AATH Humor Academy graduate study and certificate program. As a member of the Illinois NCLB implementation team, she conducted "Train the Trainer" sessions for the State Board of Education on school improvement and mentoring. The YMCA Northeast Branch of Rockford named her 2009 Volunteer of the Year. Mary Kay served on the Tedx committee for the Rockford Area Economic Development Council. She is in the Seedlings Garden Club and is on the board of directors for Rockford Network of Women.
Her publication Using Humor to Maximize Learning: Exploring Links between Positive Emotions and Education is the text for humor studies courses at several universities and is the text for the groundbreaking international graduate Humor Academy offered by AATH.
Creating an Appropriate 21st Century Education: The Top Ten Reasons Why Humoris FUNdamental to Education. IAE Newsletter. Issue 83. February 2012. http://i-a-e.org/newsletters/IAE-Newsletter-2012-83.html.
Using humor to maximize learning (n.d.). IAE-Pedia. http://iae-pedia.org/Using_Humor_to_Maximize_Learning
Using Humor to Maximize Learning. Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development newsletter. Hot topic number 67. Winter 2011. http://wwwillinoisascd.org/pdfs/Hot%2OTopic%2OPDF/HotTopic67.pdf.
Go with your strengths. (2010, May). Journal of Nursing Jocularity http://www.journal of nursingjocularity.com/index.php?s=mary+kay+morrison.
How humor affects learning. (2009). Canada TVO Station live broadcast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaG678AzVs4.
Seriously funny. (2010, July). CMA Today.
American Association of School Administrators (AASA). (2009, November). The School Administrator.
Sylwester, R. Our elusive sense of humor. The Brain Connection. April 2008. http://brainconnection.positscience.com/content/268_l
"I have had the privilege of experiencing Mary Kay Morrison's talents through presentations, workshops, webinars, teleconferences, and the facilitation of a board meeting. I don't know of anyone who can match her enthusiasm, expertise, and passion. She has presented around the country and internationally—the results are the same regardless of the language—she blows people away! Anyone wanting to chat with me personally about her abilities may contact directly. Be prepared—I can go on about her for hours." —Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, CSP, CPAE, president
"When we decided to hold a conference about the power of humor in education in our school, I did some research about experts in the field and found Mary Kay Morrison. I emailed her to give information about our conference and ask her if she would be willing to come to Turkey to lecture Turkish teachers. I did not know that I was going to gain a wonderful friend. For months, we corresponded about the content of the conference to meet the needs of Turkish teachers and about cultural differences in humor. It turned out that Mary Kay's humor is universal! Except for a few jokes that are based on language differences, we could use everything she suggested.
Our conference was for 250 Turkish teachers and academicians from all over Turkey. One of the teachers wrote on her feedback form: 'I had great fun in learning today, and I am going to carry everything I learned today to my classroom!'
When all the teachers who attended the conference start to use more humor in their classrooms, Mary Kay will have touched the lives of at least 5000 Turkish children!" —Handan Oktar, administrator, Isikkent School, Izmir, Turkey
"Mary Kay is an inspirational force in today's 'not so inspirational' world. Mary Kay and I have worked alongside each other for the past year on the Board of Directors for the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor and I have always found her to be insightful, dedicated, and never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get dirty to get the job done. Due to her coaching, I was able to see varying perspectives that, previously, I had not considered. She is never dull, always positive, and the footprint she is leaving in this lifetime is enormous!" —Chip Lutz, CLO of Covenant Leadership; president-elect of AATH
From the International Humor Academy graduate class:
"I have definitely been influenced by all the research! I absolutely love it!! At times I wish that the world would just believe what they feel, rather than having to have it proved, yet I know that research gives it the reality, the science behind the thoughts. I have a stack of books, from Mary Kay's to Kathy Buckley (both of which I have taken much from). I use the book as a resource on a regular basis."
From school bus drivers:
"I learned ways to control my stress and handle my stress." "Needs to come back to our welcome meeting."
From administrators in a six-hour session:
"Excellent presentation. Liked incorporation of current brain research." "Absolutely wonderful!"
From community college retired attendees:
"I loved every minute of this class. Mary Kay was terrific." "Very interesting. Thought provoking research."
