Dear Future Me

Every June at Maplewood Middle School in NJ, 6th grade students participate in a rite of passage: they write a letter to their future 18 year-old selves. For over 25 years, this extracurricular assignment has encouraged students to imagine and reflect on who they are and who they will become. After the letters are completed, two dedicated Language Arts teachers hold onto them for six years, until the students are about to graduate. For 25 years no one was allowed behind the curtain to witness and capture this amazing ritual, until now. “Dear Future Me” features both high school seniors opening their letters and 6th graders writing to their future selves. The results are surprising, emotional and heartwarming. Even more than reminiscing about their middle school selves, the letters prompt reflections of identity, race, sexuality and just how much can change in six short years.