“Are you going to miss us?”
“Probably.”
“Do you miss us yet?”
“You are literally sitting RIGHT THERE. How can I miss you? Your absence from my presence is, by definition, a requirement for me to miss you.”
*eye-roll*
*wink*
OF COURSE I’m going to miss them. And, of course, I already do kind of miss them because I’ve been in this gig long enough to know that one year rolls to the next with breakneck speed.
In these last days of the last year of high school, the seniors are full of questions. They’re at the end of all they’ve known, and they’re looking for something to hang on to as they turn the page. They seem to appreciate opportunities to sit with the magnitude of the transition they’re facing.
So in the waning days of this school year, I asked the seniors what they would like to do for their final assignment. They said they’d like to do another reflection essay. Earlier in the quarter, they wrote a reflection essay on the lessons Victor Frankenstein learned in Chapters 1-13 and developed a personal narrative about a lesson they learned during their four years of high school, sharing how they planned to carry that wisdom with them into college.
I said, “Absolutely not.” Only a deranged English teacher would assign a big honking essay on the last day of class. It’s the end of the year. Who has time and energy to grade that with the care it deserves?!
But I did come up with something that worked to give them an opportunity to reflect on high school and set themselves up for success in college. I call it the Reflections and Intentions Senior Mini Project.
To my surprise, most of the students took the assignment seriously. I was shocked at the detail. (NGL, woulda LOVED that much specific detail on the Frankenstein Unit Test essay, but maybe a Reflections & Projections on Frankenstein worksheet could help prep future British Lit classes… hmmmmm…)
The assignment includes the opportunity to create a mood board, either reflecting on high school or looking forward to whatever their next chapter brings. Like many schools, we’re seeing an unusually high number of students choosing to take a gap year or to enter the workforce next year. While they do eventually plan to go to college, they feel like they need a little extra time to figure out what they want to do in life. Some created elaborate mood boards from their camera rolls. Others drew stick figures. Everyone got credit.
Below are two versions of the worksheet. It took most of the students about 45 minutes to complete it. I let them chat it up while they worked. Honestly, I think the fact that they sat together reminiscing about their four years of high school helped them think deeply and specifically.
The first version is for pretty much any high school senior. The second has a few questions specifically geared toward students who attend Christian faith-based schools.
You are welcome to either or both.
We’re almost there, friend! I can’t even tell you how excited to be on the brink of the bliss-filled season of slow mornings sans the iPhone alarm. I hope you have a magnificent end-of-year season. You’ve got this!
Always Learning HQ 