Danielle Gallagher and Diane Welch, 2nd and 3rd grade combo teachers at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School, noticed that their students could benefit from additional social-emotional education. They researched various curricula with the school’s counselor, Denise Strecker, and found Big Life Journals. Ms. Strecker has been using this curriculum at the middle school level for several years and has found it effective. She feels it resonates with students and that they connect well with the lessons.
“We have seen students struggle with emotional resilience more in the last few years and are hopeful that opening the lines of communication through this curriculum will support them,” noted the teachers in their grant application to Excellence in Education.
The Big Life Journals and accompanying program will help students build lifelong skills around reflecting on and sharing their thoughts—skills that will benefit them in all aspects of their lives. The topics and material are relevant to the students, so there is buy-in.
Excellence in Education is excited to fund this program for the students. It will be implemented during daily Crew Meetings, where students and instructors set the tone for the day. The lessons are flexible, allowing Ms. Gallagher, Ms. Welch, and Ms. Strecker to make adjustments based on the needs of their students.
While the journals themselves are consumable, the skills students will learn are not. The learned skills will follow students into group projects, recess conflicts, family conversations, and eventually, into adolescence and adulthood.
The Excellence in Education grant covered journals for every 2nd and 3rd grade student as well as a complete set of lesson plans. It’s a small investment to support confident kids, calm problem-solving, strong connections, and a culture that feels safe enough for honesty and vulnerability.
