During this time of remote learning, I focused on new ways to stay connect with my Kinders. I thought they would enjoy receiving some mail from their teacher in their mailbox! I started by sending them a letter mid-quarantine to let them know how proud I was of their efforts and to keep up the great work. My thoughts were that this mail could give them an opportunity to receive their own mail, talk about their addresses, and practice some reading skills!
I heard from so many parents as they explained how much their children enjoyed reading the mail and how excited they were to receive it! It took some time to sit down, address all of the envelopes and prepare the letters for each student. However, during quarantine, time is definitely something that I have plenty of! It was so worth it! Honestly, it became therapeutic to sit and write the addresses and I thought about each student as I prepared their letters. I think I might have enjoyed writing the letters just as much as students enjoyed receiving them.
I later mailed thank you cards to each one of my students. I wanted them to know that I was thankful to be their teacher. I also wanted to thank each and every one of them just for being themselves. Telling someone, "Thanks for being you!" can be powerful. What wonderful words to hear ~ that someone appreciates you because you are YOU! (If you are looking for Thank You cards in a large quantity, the 50 pack in the photo above were purchased from Target.
Sending out this "snail mail" to my students became something I looked forward to and appreciated. In the normal craziness of every day life, I wouldn't have had the time to sit down and prepare all of this individual snail mail to my students each week. Or perhaps, I never would have felt like I could find the time.
Sending personalized mail to my students is something I hope to continue in the future, because I have found the value of sending these letters and I know my students appreciated receiving them! Something little can have great value!
