The Dream Dean

It’s Story Time!  This week, our students are presenting their My Life Story Posters to their classmates.  I just posted the Week 4 information for our coaching course.  I will be posting pictures of some of the posters from each day that we collect from the students in class for you to view.  I’ve also added a file of six word memoirs that students have shared that describes their lives thus far.  For those unfamiliar with the six word memoirs, it’s a project inspired by Smith Magazine (https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/) to collect stories from people – in six words.  We’ve incorporated the six-word memoir as a part of the students’ My Life Story Poster; I’m actually collecting the six-word memoirs and creating a file with their memoirs for examples in case you’d like to incorporate a similar project in your classes.

As noted in Week 3, students were asked to construct ONE I Am Statement that summarizes how they want to lead their lives in the future.  For their My Life Story Poster, they had the option of either using their statement from the previous class or construct a new statement that resonates with their soul.  A few decided to write new statements, having an additional week to think about their lives – and how they would like to live more powerfully and gracefully in the future.

Once completed, we do a five minute Gallery Walk so that they can see what their classmates have put together and see their stories.  Then, each student presents a short 1- to 1 1/2-minute presentation addressing these four points:

1. As you look at the whole picture of your life, what have you learned most about your life so far? How would you summarize your life in one or two sentences?
2. Briefly describe one of the most impactful events from your past and why it had such an impact on you.
3. Share your final I Am Statement and your Six-Word Memoir.
4. Share your thoughts and/or feelings on what it was like to spend the first few weeks reflecting on and developing/writing your story? How do you think your story will impact you and/or move you forward in the future?

We’ve had some VERY inspiring stories from our students, many sharing how they appreciated the opportunity and the space to reflect on and share their story.  And I feel humbled by what they shared and how much they were willing to share about their lives with others.  I am honored to have this opportunity to listen and to experience both the joys and the pain of their stories.

Here’s the link to the course: https://thedreamdean.com/life-design-program/hhs125-design-your-life-i-what-could-i-do-with-my-life/; scroll down to Week 4 to see examples of the posters and the six-word memoirs.

If you have any questions or comments, contact me at whjohnso@uncg.edu.

Enjoy!