I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
– Maya Angelou
As the final lesson in this curriculum, students are encouraged to feel hopeful and enthusiastic about their future. The lessons have covered many topics, such as honoring emotions, learning to express them in healthy ways, and teaching students various methods that they can use to feel a greater sense of emotional well-being. Now, as a concluding lesson, students consider the mark they want to make on the world. Students are invited to answer the question: What’s your message?
Prior to teaching the lesson, watch the featured videos and create your own message to share with your students.
Have thick markers and blank printer paper available to students.
Kevin Love shares his message for his life – that he will leave a legacy that future generations can build upon.
Students share the message of their life in this compilation video.
Meaghan Birnie and Clare Kehoe – founders of Morgan’s Message – describe the way they channeled the pain from the loss of their friend Morgan into an organization that focuses on the importance of mental health.
Barry Dunning, a college basketball player, shares his life message: “to strive to be the best version of himself each day.”
Fiona shares a personal mission statement about courage that was inspired by a community service trip.
Ashton and Carter Ryan share their messages that describe how they hope to positively impact others in their lives.
A video for older students, Jason opens up about his battle with drug addiction (he mentions heroin and crack cocaine), and shares his powerful journey of recovery that brought meaning to his life.
Display the ‘welcome slide’ from the Lesson 14 PowerPoint as you begin.
*Slide 1
As discussed in the teacher training, remember to make the suggested language below authentic to yourself and meaningful for your students.
* Slide 2
At the start of the lesson, offer students a wider perspective on the curriculum as a whole, emphasizing the key ideas of expressing emotions when they arise, while also drawing on methods that offer support and add to their sense of well-being. Students are encouraged to feel hopeful and excited about their lives. A method is shared in order to help students think about their core values and ground their future in a sense of meaning and purpose.
Example of What You Could Say:
“Today is our final day of thinking about emotions, thoughts, and supportive methods that can help you when life feels really complicated and hard. We have looked at different ways to express emotions through creativity. We learned more about the way thoughts impact emotions and we practiced methods for reframing those thoughts. We hopefully honed some skills that will help you feel comfortable and confident when you next feel difficult emotions. Today, during this final activity, we will talk about how we can feel a sense of purpose and meaning for our lives. I want to encourage you to think about ‘purpose’ in a new way – to think about it from the standpoint of who you want to be in the world, and the way you want to contribute. Rather than thinking of what you want to be when you grow up, you can consider how you want to be when you grow up. You can have a big impact on the world, simply by the way you make other people feel when you interact with them.
*Slide 3
I want to share a story that will help you start to think about this idea. This story is about Gandhi, the Indian activist who inspired civil rights movements around the world. Once, Gandhi was boarding a plane and a reporter yelled to him, ‘Gandhi, what’s your message?’ Gandhi turned around and said, ‘My life is my message.’ This is a new way to think about the impact of your life. I want you to consider what the message of your life might be. Let’s watch a short video of Kevin Love describing his message.”
Play the video of Kevin Love sharing his message and describing the contribution he hopes to make in his life
*Slide 3
Example of What You Could Say:
“In the video, Kevin shared what he wants the message of his life to be by answering the question: ‘What’s your message?’ Now it’s your turn to do this.
We will start by doing a short exercise together. I want you to fast-forward 30 years in your mind. From the perspective of your older self, think about the life you have led. What do you hope that you have contributed to the world? Whom have you helped? Whom have you impacted? What did you stand for? Take just a moment to think about this. (Pause for a few seconds and let students imagine this version of themselves.) From the perspective of ‘future you,’ think of just one single sentence that will explain the way you lived your life or the impact you had on people around you over the past 30 years.
For example, a doctor or therapist might say: ‘She helped people heal.’ A painter might say: ‘He found beauty everywhere he went.’ Or maybe your sentence isn’t tied to a profession, maybe it simply describes the way you live your life, like: ‘She always looked for the good in people.’ Or, ‘She was generous with time and money.’ My message is… (Educator shares their message.)
Let’s watch a short video that will show you what one group of students did for this activity.”
Play the compilation video of students sharing their messages.
*If you have time, feel free to play any of the additional videos that you feel will resonate with your students.
Students complete the creative activity of writing a one-sentence message that will show the impact they want to have on the world.
Students can choose to share their message aloud and reflect on the way it felt to envision their future. Then, every message will be compiled together in a PowerPoint or video format.
Option 1: Make a PowerPoint. Invite students to take pictures holding up their message. These should be close-up photos where the sentence is clearly legible. If the student does not want to be photographed, they can take a picture of their message on its own. Compile the photos into a PowerPoint. Music can be added if desired.
Option 2: Make a video. Videotape the students holding up their messages. Choose a simple background like a whiteboard or blank wall. Instruct the students to hold their papers steady so they are easy to read. Choose an uplifting song to accompany the video.
Once the video or PowerPoint is complete, the class will view the final project together. Consider if and how this compilation will be shared with the school community.
Example of What You Could Say:
“Now, take five minutes to write your message. It should be one sentence. (Allow students to complete the creative activity.)
I would like to know, how did it feel to think about the impact your older self will have on the world? Did this activity differ from the way you usually think about your future or help you envision the future in a new way? Would anyone like to share what they wrote?
We are going to compile all of our messages into a group project and then watch it together.” (Ask your students if and how they would like to share this compilation with the school community.)
If you or your students would like to learn more about the ideas in this lesson, additional resources and third party links are included below.