ARLINGTON — Heidi Graham’s eighth-grade students at Post Middle School agreed that it’s harder to sum up who you are in six words than in 500.

Graham had read “Can’t Keep My Own Secrets,” a book of six-word memoirs written by teens, and decided to apply it to her classroom.

“I wanted them to reveal something about themselves,” Graham told the Arlington school board Jan. 25. “But in the process, I think we all learned something more powerful than we expected.”

Eighth-graders Siena Leighton, Grace Williams, Hailey Rafter and Rianna Shankweiller-Mohs joined Graham in addressing the school board. They explained that they began by writing eight separate six-word memoirs, each on a different aspect of their lives, before winnowing the final selection to just two.

“Capturing my point of view and voice in just six words was not easy,” said Siena, who ultimately went with: “I’m diabetic: Pass me another cookie.”

Like Siena, Grace stressed out over the extensive editing process, but came up with entries that she felt captured her personality. Grace admitted what Graham found was true for a lot of her students, which was that they tended to use playful sarcasm to express their individuality.

Grace’s memoir was, “Shut up. I really don’t care,” while Hailey wrote, “Infinity means forever. Does it really?”

Rianna, a lover of books, enjoyed the pun of, “I found my spine. Where’s yours?” At the same time, she credited the exercise with making her see herself as someone who doesn’t care whether or not she stands out from the crowd.

“Most were lighthearted, but some kids also posed philosophical questions and revealed serious truths about their lives,” Graham said.

Graham’s goal as a teacher has always been to afford her students choices, whenever possible, that will allow them to express their personalities through their writing. As she guided them through this exercise, she came to realize how much meaning they could convey through carefully chosen words and the purposeful use of punctuation.

“Even just a few words can still carry great meaning,” Graham said. “Students need more opportunities to express their own opinions. Many of them had a hard time starting out, because they were so used to being told what to write by their teacher, but they eventually warmed up and enjoyed offering these little insights into their lives.”