Education

Colleagues

May 01, 2002 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Special Delivery

What’s in Betty Henry’s mailbox each summer? Her 1st graders’ homework.

It’s that time of year again. With summer approaching, students are fidgeting in their seats, ogling the green grass outside, and daydreaming of ice cream and swimming pools. Betty Henry’s 1st graders at West Vine Street School in Stonington, Connecticut, are as eager as any to get their vacations started. But they’ll skip out the door with one last assignment to complete: They must write their teacher a letter during the summer. And Henry doesn’t get off work- free either since she answers all their mail.

Henry initiated this vacation pen pal program in the 1980s because she didn’t want her graduating 1st graders’ newly acquired skills to lie idle during the off-season. “It’s an authentic writing experience,” she says. “This is teaching them to be lifelong learners and to apply their skills to the real world.” Composing a letter can be an eye-opener for 1st graders, she adds, because it helps them realize that they have “a voice.”

Henry notifies parents of the task and reminds students of the assignment in a note accompanying their final report cards. The teacher responds to all the letters, including the flood of procrastinators’ mail that arrives in late August. Students typically send a one-page message about their summer activities, such as trips to the beach, but pets are also popular subjects. Henry often responds with news of her cat, reading suggestions, and—if the kids are lucky—stickers. Usually about half of the class keeps its commitment, but Henry will be handing out self-addressed, stamped envelopes this year in an attempt to boost those numbers.

Samantha, a 2nd grader who participated in the pen pal program last year, calls letters a “special way” to talk with someone. An avid writer and fantasy-book reader, she says she wasn’t bothered by the summertime homework: “I liked it. I don’t normally get to write on the computer, so that was good.”

Henry admits that her summer letters program also helps her deal with one of the aspects of teaching she dislikes: saying goodbye to her students in May. “You have these kids all year, and they become your extended family,” she says. “The pen pal program is one way to keep in contact.” Apparently, she’s not the only person who craves continuity. After sending Henry the letter she requested following 1st grade, one student wrote to her every summer, unprompted, until junior high school.

—Rose Gordon

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read