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Letters Connect Generations

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A pen pal program involving Utah fifth graders and senior citizens has created new connections between the generations and introduced students to the almost-lost art of formal letter-writing. Included: Intergenerational pen-pal programs benefit the entire community. Writing letters -- especially to older people unfamiliar with texting abbreviations -- is an activity few children do on their own these days. A pen-pal program between an elementary school and a senior center is not only connecting the two age groups but is giving students authentic letter-writing tips from a generation that grew up relying on pen and paper to communicate.

It teaches kids they are not the only people in the world, said Ellie Ferrero, a fifth grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Murray, Utah. And it teaches them that seniors are real people.

DONT HOLD UP THE MAIL

Students usually write their pen pals at the L. Clark Cushing Heritage Center every two weeks. A parent volunteer randomly matches the seniors and students. A school staff member delivers the letters to the senior center, which is a block away, and picks up the responses. The class and seniors have schedules outlining when students write letters and their pen pals respond.


If I hang on to the letters for a few days, the kids are chomping at the bit to get them.

If I hang on to the letters [from the seniors] for a few days, the kids are chomping at the bit to get them, Ferrero joked. Sometimes students want to share their letters with the class. For their part, students write about what they are learning, their families, vacations, and what is going on in lives so seniors have something to respond to, she said. Student letters range in length from a few sentences to a few paragraphs.

Several times a year, including during the holiday season, the students visit the seniors and bring homemade cards, eat lunch, play games, and chat. Some of the seniors even became mentors to their pen pals and brought the kids treats on their birthdays, said former Liberty principal Connie Amos. I like that it enhances writing and kids make a connection with another generation; for some its a connection they wont have again in their lifetime.

The seniors also have been asked to model proper letter-writing. Ferrero helps some of the students edit their writing, which has been affected by digital shorthand. I see a lot of shortened words when the kids write, because of texting and e-mail, she noted.

SPREADING INTERGENERATIONAL AWARENESS

Susan Gregory, director of the Heritage Center, started the pen-pal program more than ten years ago when her daughter was in third grade at the school. Last year, the program was turned over to Ferreros fifth-grade class because the third graders were struggling to compose letters.

Besides establishing an intergenerational activity, Gregory wanted to give students a chance to learn how to write a formal letter and address an envelope.


It teaches kids they are not the only people in the world and it teaches them that seniors are real people.

The seniors love it, Gregory told Education World. They get a kick out of the letters they get from these fifth graders, when they write about their pets and activities; they so enjoy hearing about the kids and their lives.

Since the average age of seniors in the program is 74, they particularly enjoy the relationship with students because many of them no longer have young grandchildren, added Gregory. Some kids are without grandparents, so its a good experience for them as well.

LEARNING REAL-LIFE LESSONS

Some of the real-life experiences can be painful. One of the students last year had a pen pal who was close to death, and the boy was very concerned about him, according to Ferrero. Once in a while students received blank pages in an envelope from their pen pal -- and Ferrero had to explain that sometimes their pen pal thought he or she had written a note and didnt, because people get more forgetful as they get older. But an important part of intergenerational relationships is learning more about each other. A lot of kids just think [initially] they are old and didnt have a life before, said Ferrero.

And the town benefits from new and expanded relationships, added Gregory. To involve different generations in the community, we want to have opportunities for people to interact and do things with all ages, she said. This gives kids a cohesiveness to the community -- they know whats going on in each others lives.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Community Involvement
Community Service

Article by Ellen R. Delisio
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World

Originally published 11/01/2010










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