Taking a Journal Moment
What is your favorite word?
If you won the lottery, what would you spend the money on?
What do you wish you were more grateful for?
Every week, my students and I celebrate Friday (or “FriYAY,” as we call it in my high school chemistry classroom) with a “journal moment,” where they respond to prompts like these in a handwritten journal.
The idea emerged during my student teaching experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attempting to teach from my college apartment, I was met with only a few faces scattered among a sea of small black rectangles on Zoom. Were they even in front of their computer? Half of my students were in-person at the school with my cooperating teacher, and the rest were at home. I felt helpless, and found myself questioning the purpose of teaching if I could not connect with my students. I initially pursued a career in education due to my interest in chemistry and passion to share it with future scientists. However, throughout college, I realized what drew me to teaching was mentorship and human connection. Even with rigorous curricular expectations, I still wanted to show up for students as a trusted adult, leading with radical love and care.
To implement this practice, I created the “literally about you” survey. At the end of each week, I would post this form to our Google Classroom, with questions ranging from How are you feeling? to What are some of your favorite songs? or What are your plans this weekend? At the end of the form, students could opt to receive a response back from me or not. Over the weekend, I would read over their responses and reply with my own comments. I would ask follow up questions when students shared about pets, or express my condolences to students who were going through a difficult time. In a time of disconnection, this simple act created a dialogue and I could sense my students quickly latching onto the routine.
[W]hat drew me to teaching was mentorship and human connection.
When I began my first year of teaching, I wanted to continue intentionally connecting with my students. I decided to transition the online form to a mini handwritten journal in which students would record their responses without logging into their computers. The rise in technology has caused children to be bombarded by screens at home, and now even at school, and a journal gave them a much needed break. The goal was to give students a space where they could find some breathing room within the confines of school and connect with themselves through reflection and writing.
Knowing that students feel hesitant to participate or use “I don’t know what to write” as an excuse, I provide a prompt each week and give students about 10 minutes at the beginning of class to respond in their journal. The first question is always the same: What have you enjoyed this week and what are you looking forward to? Ups and downs? I hope to prime students to recognize the positive aspects of their lives, knowing that teenagers may live in the negative. And, when life gets hard, I want to give them space to share what they’re experiencing and feeling.
The second question on the board is typically something random, sometimes leaning into social-emotional learning (Figure 1), sometimes silly topics (Figure 2). I’ve asked questions like: Who are your friends? What are characteristics about the people you surround yourself with? What are some of your pet peeves? or If you had a YouTube channel, what kinds of videos would you make? Some questions, like Look at your screentime, how do you want to change or maintain your habits? are my way of encouraging students to think more about who they are, and the actions they are taking in their lives. Students are often told what is right and what is wrong (e.g. being on your phone is bad) instead of being asked to reflect on their own priorities and make their own decisions (Figure 3). I hope that, through this activity, students recognize their agency over their own lives.
Figure 1
A February journal prompts students to reflect on their relationships
Figure 2
An October prompt reminds students to be whimsical
Figure 3
A September journal prompts students to reflect on how they have changed.
Students submit their journal in one of two bins I have in the classroom: a grey bin and a pink bin. The grey bin is for students who choose to have their journal wait for them until the next week (of course, I read all the journals as a mandated reporter), while the pink bin is for students who would like to receive a written reply from me. I want to give students a choice in how they engage in the activity, because the activity is ultimately for them: no grade, no incentive, and no expectations. Through this activity, I try to push against the norm of school being “done to” students and instead encourage school to be something they actively choose to participate in.
Figure 4
The grey and pink bins that students place their journals in.
Since I began teaching, the student response to this activity continues to amaze me. Some students follow the prompts and even copy them down, while others do not. I have students who doodle, students who write about family drama, friend drama, boy drama, stressors, prom, siblings, teachers, parents, and just themselves. It’s fascinating to see how similar some students’ lives really are. I think my students are often caught up in their own bubble; they sometimes forget they are all going through universal, suburban teenage experiences and are maybe a bit more alike than they realize. And, at the same time, the journals have also revealed just how different their lives are, as I hear about side quests students go on, realities about what is going on at home, and interpersonal dynamics they are navigating. I always think about how many stories and insights I would have missed out on if I never did this activity.
Students are often told what is right and what is wrong instead of being asked to reflect on their own priorities and make their own decisions.
Every week I write replies to over half of my 90 students, whether it’s offering advice, cheering them on, or just being a listening ear. I get to connect with a wide range of students, not just those who are more social in class, because they choose how they participate in the activity. So often, students are told what to do by adults and, while there is a place for that, it is equally important for students to have trusted adults who allow them to exist in a way that is not a performance. When students ask me to reply, there is a mutual understanding of trust; they are choosing to share their writing with me, and I am always reminded of what an honor that is.
At the end of the school year, I survey my students for feedback and, without fail, numerous students mention how much they appreciate weekly journaling and how it provides them with a reliable check-in. To some students, their journal is a passing activity, maybe a cute memento from junior year. To others, it is a safe space they look forward to each week. Either way is fine with me; this activity is theirs to shape. I love that every week when I sit down to reply to students, I am not just their chemistry teacher—I am an adult in their life who is choosing to show up, choosing to listen, and choosing to see them for who they are.
Citation
Hettiarachchi, T. (2026). Taking a journal moment. Kaleidoscope: Educator Voices and Perspectives, 13(1), URL NEEDED.