So at my school they have this really cute pen pals program, where kids in a computer skills class are assigned pen pals among the staff members. Luckily, the program started in March so I was able to be there in time to participate – and I have to say it’s the cutest thing ever.
I got two little pen pals, one boy and one girl, and every week they write me letters telling my about their home lives & asking me questions about my puppy, spring break, etc. Well today was the culmination of that project, and the kids got to interview their pen pals in person with some few final questions.
What I really liked about this whole thing was getting to know these kids better, and the conversations that started from our interview. The one girl who had me is one of my secret favorite kids, just because she works so hard in my class – not to mention she’s just a likable kid. Her letters were especially revealing – I learned that she and all her siblings are adopted from different orphanages in Russia, and that we both have a love for pitbulls. (I’m a sucker for underdogs) But the best part about just her letters was how it made her noticeably more comfortable in class. She even brought in pictures of her pitbulls for our in-person interview today so we could share about it! So cute – I love 7th graders.
Getting back to the interviews – the process of getting to sit one on one with the kids was again revealing and really nice to get a chance to talk individually with them. (Something that doesn’t happen much when you have 135 students) It did get me thinking though – this could be a really great year long history project, if I had kids write to family members, or maybe even veterans – if I could tie it into first hand accounts, or primary sources. Not to mention that I wish someone had made me have this kind of communication with older family members when I was in 7th grade. It’s still in the works, but it’s something that has a lot of potential, and I think would be really cool to do.
So the question is – has anyone done something like this? Successful, or unsuccessful!