Free Middle School & High School Curricula
Strength Through Setbacks
We are all of us struggling to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and sane during this crisis. Some are turning to gardening, long walks, making music, art, or writing. Some are spending their time making useful things for others, such as face masks. Click here to read how these essayists have found that sometimes significant challenges turn out to be opportunities in disguise.
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Always Go to the Funeral
As a child Deirdre Sullivan’s father told her to always pay her respects at funerals. Now, the Brooklyn attorney believes those simple acts of human kindness are as important as the grand heroic gestures. Click here to read her essay.
Be Cool to the Pizza Dude
We know them. We depend on them. We call them out on cold, rainy nights. Now, college professor Sarah Adams tells us why her life philosophy is built around being cool to the pizza delivery dude. Click here to read her essay.
Do What You Love
Tony Hawk has turned what many consider a childhood activity into a professional career. Now for Hawk, skateboarding is not only a job, it’s a means of expression and a foundation for personal belief.Click here to read his essay.
I Am Still the Greatest
To be “The Greatest of All Time,” boxing legend Muhammad Ali said you have to believe in yourself. It’s something Ali’s parents taught him as a child, and it helped him through the biggest challenge of his life: fighting Parkinson’s disease. Click here to read his essay.
The Virtues of the Quiet Hero
As a Naval aviator, Congressman, and parent, John McCain was guided by a belief in honor, faith, and service. They are values he tried to model for his children and future generations of Americans. He died on August 25, 2018. Click here to read his essay.
There is No God
As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.
Black is Beautiful
What’s in a name? For writer and teacher Sufiya Abdur-Rahman it’s key to her identity as the proud daughter of Muslim parents. Like the 1960s movement, Abdur-Rahman believes black is beautiful and not a condition she should have to rise above.Click here to read her essay.
An Ideal of Service to Our Fellow Man
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein found beauty in life’s mysteries, and says the fate of mankind depends on individuals choosing public service over private gain. Click here to read his essay.
Finding a Good Frog
Delia Motavalli has grown up watching movies about fairy tales and princesses. But after she received a piece of advice from her mother, Delia has come to realize her own definition of “happily ever after.” Click here to read her essay.
Being Content with Myself
Massachusetts teenager Kamaal Majeed believes being content with himself and defining his own life are more important than adhering to any racial stereotypes that his peers may try to force upon him.Click here to read his essay.
Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day
What kind of world are we leaving younger generations? Manhattan teenager Josh Rittenberg says all parents worry about their children’s futures. But he believes he and his peers will see a better world.
Click here for the full essay...
Recently Featured Essays
What Students Believe
Throughout the school year, young people around the world write statements of belief as a classroom exercise. And thousands of those students have submitted their essays to our series. Click here to read a sampling of what young people believe.
Life Lessons Learned from Strangers
As children, we’re taught to be wary of strangers. But random encounters with people we don’t know can lead to surprising insights about others and opportunities to learn more about ourselves. Click here to read this selection of essays about life lessons learned from strangers.
Saying Goodbye
Sometimes a goodbye is a casual comment to a colleague we’ll see tomorrow. Other times we say farewell to a loved one we’ll never see again. The moments of transition that we mark with a see you soon, a goodbye, or a farewell can leave a lasting impression on a person. Click here to read how these essayists have been inspired by saying goodbye.
The Immigrant Experience
In the heated debates over political policy, it’s easy to forget that America is largely a nation of immigrants. For those who came to this country from distant lands generations ago, to the recently naturalized citizen, the American dream is a powerful draw for people around the world. Click here to learn the beliefs that immigration has inspired in these essayists.
Essays from China
Just like in the United States, teachers in China have asked their students to write This I Believe essays. The hopes and passions of these students are evident, even as they write in a second language. Click here to learn what these Chinese students believe.
Taking Inspiration from Dr. King
Each year, the U.S. marks the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday. We offer a sampling of statements from essayists who were influenced by King’s work and words — both by people who witnessed his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, to those who were simply inspired by it. Click here to read how these essayists were moved by Dr. King.
Tolerance and Acceptance
The French writer Voltaire called tolerance a “consequence of humanity” and the first law of nature. Yet some of us practice it more successfully than others. Click here to read how these essayists seek to exercise true tolerance and acceptance in their lives.
Quinceañera
The celebration of quinceañera is a tradition among people of Latin American heritage that marks a 15-year-old girl’s transition from childhood to womanhood. The festivities can include a religious ceremony, elaborate gowns and tuxedoes, a lavish party, and a special dance of the quinceañera and her court. Such a major turning-point in a young girl’s life can evoke a range of emotions and inspire a number of beliefs. Click here to read what these essayists feel about this important rite of passage.
A Walk in the Woods
As fall is around the corner with cooler days and turning leaves, it’s a perfect time for a hike among the trees. Whether for pleasure, exercise, or solitude, a walk in the woods can also inspire belief. Click here to learn what our essayists discovered out in nature.
Happy With What I Have
What makes you happy? Is it the attainment of the latest gadgets or a new, bigger car? How about getting a raise at work or winning the lottery? Does money really make us happy? Click here to read how these essayists feel about finding happiness with what they have.
Kindness
It's amazing the effect that one simple act of kindness can have both on the giver and the receiver. Greeting a stranger with "hello" or letting a fellow driver merge ahead of you may not change the world, but it can make living in that particular moment more pleasant. Click here to read some meditations on kindness.
