PostSecret

Earlier this year I had my students do a PostSecret project. For those of you who don't know, PostSecret is an astounding website created by Frank Warner. He began it as a type of social experiment, distributing blank post cards to the masses asking people to send him their secrets anonymously. The results were phenomenal. He was getting thousands of responses, and soon people he didn't directly give a blank postcard to were even mailing him their secrets. He took the secrets and today he gives speeches and exhibitions around the country, not to mention his website which is updated weekly.

I can across PostSecret in college and have always been intrigued. It's amazing to see people put themselves out there--you sympathize and empathize, you feel for these people, you're disgusted by some, you laugh at others, and you relate ten-fold to still more. The intense emotions these people must be feeling to write it down and send it in amazes me. It is therapeutic, it helps heal. People put their heart and souls in these flimsy postcards to ATTEMPT to get the full feeling behind it. And the artwork and creativity can be simply breathtaking!

Anyway, I decided I wanted to take this idea into the classroom. My students submitted secrets anonymously and I must say I was blown away! Teaching middle school has always been a bit limiting, so when we began this project I wasn't expecting much. The most I hoped for was a sense of camaraderie in the classroom and a place for students to get a couple things off their chest. What they turned in, however, was far from mediocre!

The picture in this article were made by 13 and 14 years olds. This is what they think about day in and day out. These are the troubles they think about. Some are much more mature than you'd expect, but still it is what they have on their mind. I just wanted to share and brag about my kids' masterpieces!!