High School Project - My Life

The "My Life" project is geared towards high school students. The teacher asks the students to each write an autobiography. Due to the personal nature of an autobiography, at the beginning of the assignment, the teacher should let the class know that the autobiography will not be shared with the rest of the class and will only be read by the teacher. Giving the students privacy allows them to feel free to open up about their lives. The purpose of "My Life" is to enable the teacher to learn about the students and the students to gain insight into their own lives. The autobiographies should not be graded on grammar or spelling. They should only be graded on participation and completeness.

Students generally enjoy the "My Life" project. Teenagers often feel that they do not get the opportunity to speak their thoughts. The "My Life" project gives them an outlet to use their voice. The process of writing the autobiography causes a student to reflect on their lives and gain insight into their emotions. Autobiographies help a student to discover who they are and who they want to be.

By reading the student autobiographies, teachers can gain an understanding of a student's background, culture, family situation, problems, weaknesses and strengths. This understanding gives a teacher the information to identify a students interests and desires as well as any special emotional needs the student may have. Knowing a students history, background and interests enables a teacher to relate to the student and helps the teacher to successfully interact with and educate the student.

When reading student autobiographies, it is important for a teacher to remain impartial. Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds. While some students have had the perfect "Leave it to Beaver" childhood, others may come from broken families, gang backgrounds, or anything in between. Teachers should refrain from judging students and instead take the opportunity to gain understanding. Teachers should not make comments on things that the student may have done wrong. Comments should only be made if it is beneficial to the student's emotional health. For instance: if a student is depressed or insecure, a quick positive and encouraging comment can be written on the autobiography if it would benefit the student.