This year marks my 22nd year teaching middle school, and yesterday may have been one of the most impactful days of my career.
I tried something new called “The Baggage Activity.” I asked my students what it means to have baggage, and they said it’s the hurtful stuff you carry on your shoulders. Then I gave them each a piece of paper and asked them to write down what was weighing heavy on their hearts—what was hurting them, what they were struggling with. No names. Just honesty.
When they were done, they crumpled their papers and threw them across the room. Each student picked up a random paper and read it out loud. After each one, I asked if the writer wanted to share more.
What happened next moved me to tears. My students opened up about things far heavier than any child should have to carry—suicidal thoughts, parents in prison, family struggles with drugs, abandonment, death, cancer, and heartbreak over lost pets (one even said their gerbil died because it was fat, and we managed a much-needed laugh 😅).
Some cried while reading their classmates’ words. Some cried as they revealed their own. It was raw. It was emotional. And it was powerful.
At the end, I told them that the bag now hanging by our classroom door is a symbol: we all have baggage, but in this room, we leave it at the door. Here, we are not alone. Here, we are loved. Here, we have each other’s backs.
It was a draining day, but I believe my students walked away with softer hearts—ready to judge less, love more, and forgive faster.
I am deeply honored to be their teacher.
Credit: Karen Wunderlich Loewe