Ms Taylor : What did you write about for the first entries ?
Ivy : The first time I wrote in the journal it was a Sunday evening and I wrote about what I was going to do that week , I also wrote about three positive things that had happened to me that day .
Ms Taylor : How much time did you like to spend each day writing your entries ?
Bethan : I only took about five minutes each day to write it , but it took me longer to think about what to write about , so it was helping me to think through the day and put down in writing the thoughts and ideas that I had had .
Ms Taylor : Did writing in it become easier as you made more entries ?
Isabella : Yes , it did , because the first day I started writing in it I wasn ’ t quite sure how to use my journal . I was sceptical about it , but when you open the journal on the first page there are very clear instructions on how to use the journal and what you should write in it and it was laid out so nicely with the pictures , diagrams and different boxes .
Ms Taylor : Do you have tips on how to use the journal most effectively ?
Ivy : Our tips on how to use this journal most effectively are : have a specific time of day that you write in your journal , try to differ what you are grateful for because it won ’ t work as well if you don ’ t think of a range of things , and when you are writing about what you ’ re going to do in the week ahead , put some thought into what you want to spend some of your time doing and make sure you try your hardest to dedicate a certain amount of time to doing it .
Ms Taylor : What was your favourite quotation from the journal ?
Bethan : Mine was , ‘ In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity .’ This is my favourite because it is basically saying that even though something is difficult and challenging , there is opportunity in the
middle of a challenge , to learn more about how to handle difficult situations , and to see that learning from difficult things can make you a stronger and more resilient person .
Ms Taylor : Did your journal writing mean you noticed things that you took for granted before ?
Isabella : Yes . By writing down what I ’ m grateful for , it really put into perspective how much there is in life to be positive about and thankful for . Before the journal I was grateful for many things , but writing in the journal opened my eyes to other parts of my life which perhaps I took for granted , particularly before the Covid-19 pandemic . I found that expressing my thoughts on paper in the journal helped me to realise how much freedom we actually have , and I am grateful for it every day .
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2020-2021 17