One of my favorite assignments to do with my seniors at the end of the year is a “passion project.” Some call it Genius Hour, some call it 20 Time. Different names, same concept. The idea is that you allow students to spend a significant part of their class time working on a goal or dream they have always had, but maybe never had the time to pursue it.
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
Doing this at the end of the year allows seniors to pursue something they are genuinely interested in, and hopefully their project will be something that they continue to pursue in their futures. I have seen many students get a jumpstart on careers or business ideas or even lifelong hobbies during this project. As the years go by, I continue to get joy out of seeing students continuing to dabble with an idea that they started in my class their senior year.*
Something that I love about this project that I think more people could benefit from is just the simple accountability of pursuing our dreams. I always have students complete a writing reflection at the end of the project, and many students express gratitude at the designated space and accountability to spend time each week on their passion. Giving that time back to students at the end of their high school career while still giving them guidance and structure is empowering. And in my mind the perfect way to send them out into the world.
Something else that I love about this project that I think more people could benefit from is the fact that I give students the freedom to “fail” during this project. And my “fail” I mean they don’t have to “achieve” their goal by the end of the project. All they have to do is make progress towards their goal. A motto I am trying to live by and trying to instill in my students is progress, not perfection.
Perfectionism is something I have struggled with, and I know I am my toughest critic at times. But I think that struggle allows me to help students who may be struggling with the same thing. One way I try to do this is by doing a passion project alongside my students to show them my own goals and progress and setbacks.
One of my passions has always been writing, but I have never been able to be consistent with it (as you can see from the dates of these blog posts). But if you’ve noticed recently, I have been able to post every Friday for the past eight weeks in a row — my longest consistent streak of writing in a long time. And I owe a lot of that success to being vulnerable enough to share my passion project progress with my students as a form of accountability.
So if I’ve learned anything from this assignment with my students, it’s that success is best served with baby steps and accountability.
*Side note: if any of my former students remember their project and are still doing anything with it, leave me a comment here! I would love to hear from you and continue to encourage you in your passions!