Grow Free

A Hundred Days of Freedom: A Letter to My Students Before Summer

Notes on Life, Time, and Who You Might Become

I’m an Italian high school teacher. This is the letter I wrote to my students: six ways to stay grounded, curious, and alive over the next hundred days.

To my students

As I promised, I’m writing to you not to assign more homework for your summer holiday, but to offer a few thoughts to accompany you over the next hundred days.

Ninety-five days, to be precise — just over a quarter of the year! That’s a lot of time, and for the most part, it will be entirely yours.

So, what will you do with it?

When we spoke about freedom in class, I meant it seriously. And now, here it is: over these next hundred days, you’ll be doing exactly what you choose. I have no way — and no intention — of telling you what to do.

But I can share a few thoughts worth keeping in mind as you decide how to spend your time.