Pen Pals

    On my recent teaching gig at Wat Klang School, Ayutthaya, Thailand, I was presented with six letters written by 5th grade students.  The 4 girls and 2 boys are hoping to establish pen pal relationships with American students.  During the school year here in Minnesota I volunteer regularly in the 5th and 6th grade classrooms at Noble Academy, a Hmong Charter School.
   In conversation with one of the 5th grade teachers at Noble 6 students were chosen as pen pals.  It was fun working with these students as they composed and decorated their return letters.  The letters from Thailand were adorned with much art work.  Thai students receive significant art education in school so the letters were nicely designed.  Noble students were inspired to respond in kind and took seriously the task of creating visually attractive letters.  Writing took perhaps 20 minutes but the drawing, coloring, etc. went on for hours.
  The process of selecting the students and crafting their responses with the accompanying art work stretched the process over 3 weeks.  Knowing that the Thai students would be anxiously awaiting a return letter I wrote to each of them so they would know that they had not been forgotten.  Then, too, I thought they would enjoy getting two letters.
   Next year when I return to Wat Klang I'm going to bring labels with my address and invite students to write to me with the promise that I will write back to them.  This will enhance the connection and provide incentive for practice in English...I will not encourage them to write to me in Thai.  :)
    Perhaps with all these new ideas for teaching and connecting I shouldn't wait a year........ :)

My Thai School, Ayutthaya.

My Thai School's official name.

Noble Academy 40th & Thomas N., Mpls.