In the digital age, connecting community members through letter writing is an unusual project.
Yet Lynette Knapp’s Grade 3 and 4 class at Brisbane Public School in Erin did just that. Knapp wanted to tie in the curriculum of letter writing with compassion, the school’s monthly character trait.
She connected with Becky Walker of East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) to create a pen pal program between her 24 students and those that attend the EWCS older adult day program in Erin.
Walker provided a little bit of information about each of the participants to help match students to a pen pal. This helped the students engage better with the seniors, she said.
Knapp said there were many reasons why she wanted to reach out of the classroom for this project.
“It was … an authentic way to learn about letter writing, which is part of the curriculum,” she said.
The students could write about anything they wished. Student Claudia De Santis wrote about making new friends, while Emily Fries wrote about Christmas traditions.
Knapp said she thought the opportunity to get to know someone with a lifetime of experiences is a “precious gift” to the children.
“I honestly wanted kids to have the opportunity to take part in something that was authentic and meaningful,” she said.
At the EWCS annual Christmas party, the participating seniors received 24 letters written by Knapp’s students.
Walker said it was a special gift to the seniors, considering, “A lot of the times older adults can feel like they’ve been removed from the community.”
Senior participant Helen Boljkovac “had a big smile when she got her letter,” said Walker.
Boljkovac said she liked the experience, adding, “I like to teach them everything.”
Bernie Hoffmann, who also likes to teach, said it was very interesting to hear from the children.
Another pen pal, Art England, said he thought it was a great program because of “connections between kids and grown ups, the transferring of information and getting to know a generation.”
Margaret Dedman mentioned she still has her letter hanging on her wall at home.
Walker said the older adults seemed to connect with their pen pals, proving “the people that come to the program have a lot of valuable information to share and a lot of memories and moments that they can still contribute to someone else’s life.”
She said, “They want to be recognized as people who can contribute and take part.”
When Knapp’s class returned to school in January, letters were waiting for them.
“The class was super captivated, in general, by their letters,” said Knapp.
The students read them aloud, each letter having a unique story. Olivia Toogood’s letter spoke about a church choir, while Carter Harris’ talked about Christmas dinner.
“I feel like it was the personal details that made the letters so remarkable to the kids,” said Knapp.
“It felt good to make someone feel better, because sometimes it can be lonely for seniors,” said student Chris Pafford.
Student Emily McVeigh said writing to her pen pal was important, “because you want to make them happy and want them to have company.”
The students enjoyed getting letters and spoke excitedly about engaging further through letter writing.
“It felt amazing to get a letter back from a senior; it was really cool. It was a really cool experiment,” said student Sarah Davis.
Walker and Knapp agree the project helped students engage in the community in a meaningful way.
With the assignment complete, students have the option to continue to write their pen pals.
