In the final minutes of the final Positive Psychology class of the term on Tuesday, November 19, teacher and Dean of Students Mike Donegan tossed plastic bags filled with puzzle pieces to his students.

Their task was two-fold: put the puzzle together, which would reveal a photo from their childhood, and then write on the back of each puzzle piece takeaways from the class in one or two words. The students knew there would be a surprise on the last day of the class, but they had no idea that this activity would be the surprise. Mike had asked parents of each student for a photo, and the parents kept it a secret.

“Had no idea,” said one student.

“It’s a great activity,” said another.

“It’s so sweet,” said a third.

“Thank you so much,” said another after learning that Mike had taken the photos into the Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI) and made each puzzle using a laser cutter.

Throughout the fall term, the students completed various projects in the course, including one in which groups developed their own countries and all that would entail, keeping well-being at the forefront. They made presentations to the rest of the class and fielded questions.

“When you make this puzzle years from now with your grandkids,” Mike said, “what are you going to remember most from this class?”

Some of the responses were examples of character strengths: grit, gratitude, faith, happiness, savoring, judgment, curiosity, humility, love, other people matter.

Mike spotted another word that had been written down. “Ah, anti-fragility? What the heck is that? ... Interesting concept. What is it?” A student answered: “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Said Mike, “What’s a good example of things we beat up a little bit to make them stronger?”

Muscles, answered a student.

“We tear our muscles when we work out and they get stronger,” Mike said. “You can apply that to mental health, too.”

The idea of teaching a positive psychology course and the puzzle idea came to Mike when he was doing what he asks his students to do: reflecting.

One student mentioned that her family loves puzzles — her grandmother might spread one out on a huge table. So this small puzzle — all of them had 20 to 24 pieces — was near and dear to her.

The course is near and dear to Mike, too.

“Most of the class is reflective,” Mike said, “and I try to make it applicable. I want them leaving here with a better sense of how to have a life of well-being, a meaningful life."

For their final reflection, Mike asked the students to write down on a board as a group what they liked about the course and what they didn’t like so much. He then left the room for a few minutes. The right side of the board, where they listed what they didn’t like, had only two entries, one of which was that it was just a term course. The left side was full, and atop the list was the name Dean Donegan with a heart around it.

“This class,” said Mike, offering a final reflection after the students left the room, “is the high point of my day."