Learning Network: Our 4th Annual Tiny Memoir Contest

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October 21, 2025

Good morning! Our Tiny Memoir Contest is perhaps the most popular challenge we offer, and it opens Oct. 22. Need resources? We have many, including a list of over 100 quick jumping-off points for brainstorming. — The Learning Network

Telling the tiny tales that matter to you

A black-and-blue illustration of a couple sitting on a grassy hill, pointing up to the stars.

Brian Rea

Can you tell a meaningful and interesting true story from your life in just 100 words?

That’s the challenge we pose to teenagers with our 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest, which runs from Oct. 22 - Dec. 3 this year.

Since the contest began in 2022, we’ve received over 37,000 entries, and crowned dozens of teen winners. You might share that winning work to inspire your students and show them we have honored stories both serious and silly, on topics including friendship breakups, stepparents, immigration, sports disasters, loss and loneliness, crushes, braces and spontaneous dance parties.

Where can your class begin? Check out the related Student Activity below.

Recent Times reporting about schools

Joel Camas, 16, hugs his mother, Elvia, while they sit on steps painted blue. Joel wears a dark blue hoodie, and Elvia, her long hair tied behind her, wears a dark blue shirt.

Joel Camas, 16, and his mother, Elvia Chafla, came to the United States from Ecuador as undocumented immigrants. Joel’s school has provided a crucial lifeline. Diana Cervantes for The New York Times

As President Trump’s immigration crackdown has begun to target more underage migrants, New York schools have become a quiet locus of resistance, with teachers, classmates and neighbors banding together in their defense.
Harvard students skip class and still get high grades, according to a faculty report. Some professors are trying to change that.
As museums around the U.S. reimagine their programming, some are adopting a new approach: recruiting young people to curate their shows.
A White House proposal for special funding treatment crossed a line for several universities. Some say it feels like a turning point in the federal government’s battle with higher education.
A growing number of college students are now meeting with “embedded” counselors in residence halls and academic buildings, with promising results.

More teaching resources from The Learning Network

A friend ad has “A.I. is not your” written on top of the ad.

The subway advertisements were defaced so routinely that a website was built to showcase some of the more clever responses. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Writing Prompts: Over the last week, we asked students to tell us how they feel about this A.I. “friend” ad; to describe their fall rituals and traditions; to react to the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas; to tell us a story, real or made up, inspired by this image; and to express their thoughts about the deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities.
Curriculum Connection: What’s it like to think, create, teach and learn at a time when artificial intelligence is transforming our world? Our "Growing Up With A.I.” challenge poses this question to both students and educators. Tell us what you think by Oct. 22!
Visual Literacy: Invite your students to a live-moderated discussion this Wednesday about this graph, which may have implications for them and their families.
Vocabulary Words: Can your students use ambivalence, laudable or valiantly in a sentence?

Student Activity: Write about a time when you …

An illustration of a figure sitting in a field with colorful flowers.

Write about a time when you ... Brian Rea

… dealt with a conflict.

… made an unlikely friend.

… started over.

… were there for a friend.

… learned from an animal.

… challenged yourself.

… carried on a tradition.

… broke a rule.

… did something cringe.

… felt as if you didn’t belong.

… learned from an elder.

… found peace.

… felt alive.

You can find these and over 100 more prompts to help your students mine their memories for the moments, big or small, that have been most meaningful to them. Each prompt links to a Learning Network page featuring a free Times article, as well as to follow-up questions.

Then, when they’re ready, we invite students to take the next step and post their writing here, in a forum we’ve opened to help them experiment.

Before you go, see what teens are saying about gaming.

An illustration of a gamer with a headset.

Iris de Moüy

“In the last decade and a half, boys and young men ages 15 to 24 more than doubled their average time spent gaming, to about 10 hours a week,” reported The Times. We asked young people if that was a problem. Here are three representative answers:

Gaming is fun, and it helps me socialize with friends that I would otherwise have a difficult time doing in person as I am a natural introvert. But playing through a screen helps me to feel less afraid of social interaction. — Matthew, New Jersey

Many games actually help boys vent the pent-up stress and anger in a much healthier manner. Also, doing what they enjoy is healthy for growing boys, being able to have something that, at the end of the day, no matter how bad their day was or what might have happened, they will always have something to go to to bring them joy. — Jorge, California

Last year, I used to play video games for the majority of my spare time, and would even create more time to play them by neglecting my homework. A major habit I had was telling myself that I would complete an assignment a day late, so I could continue whatever I was playing. I had over 20 missing assignments built up by the end of the year. Naturally, this wasn’t enough, and eventually I would cut some of my hours of sleep to play even longer. I started getting 4-5 hours of sleep, and felt tired every day, waiting to go home. That being said, this year, I’ve controlled my screen time much better. I’ve created a decent balance between my school life and my personal life, gotten more sleep, and I still play video games fairly often. Overall, playing video games used to have major drawbacks in my life, but playing moderately allowed it to just be a fun hobby. — Paul, New Jersey

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