Distance Not An Issue For Letter Exchange Friends
The Letter Exchange Programme initiated by RESPECT International continues to receive positive feedback from participating schools. The programme involves introducing refugee and non-refugee students through a pen-pal letter exchange.
Letters from refugee students are forwarded to a participating non-refugee school. The students then reply to the letters, and new friendships are born. Letter exchanges can be conducted as a class or a club activity.
An interview with Ms. Beth Glenney, a public school teacher from Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, serves to reinforce the success of the programme in partnership with a refugee school in Sierra Leone.
The two schools are a world apart in distance and culture but the letter exchanges seems to have reduced all barriers and brought the two entirely different worlds together. In the process, everyone involved is enriched.
Wesley: How did you first hear about RESPECT's Letter Exchange Programme?
Glenney: I learned about RESPECT through a friend. He saw the programme and knew it would be a great match for my class.
Wesley: Can you tell us little bit about your school and your class?
Glenney: The Urban Assembly School for the Urban Environment is a public school located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. We opened our doors last September to our first students (sixth graders). We now serve sixth and seventh grade students. Each year we will add a grade until we are a sixth-12th grade school. We'll celebrate our first graduating class in 2012.
I personally teach sixth grade humanities (language arts and social studies) and reading. I use the RESPECT project with my advisory – a small group of 15 students that I meet with twice a day.
Wesley: How did you introduce the topic of the Letter Exchange Programme in your class and what was the reaction?
Glenney: We have written letters to people throughout the school year. I told the kids that we would be getting new pen pals and they were very excited. We started simply: we pulled down the world map and looked for Sierra Leone. We talked about the distance and speculated about what our new pen pals might be like.
Wesley: Which school in Africa is your partner school for the programme? How many students participate?
Glenney: We are paired with Children in Crisis Orphanage Care Center located in Freetown, Sierra Leone, through RESPECT Sierra Leone. I'm not sure how we were matched, but we make a great pair. Originally my class of 15 students joined the programme, but we opened it up to other students in our school when we received nearly 60 letters!
Wesley: What are your (and your school's) objectives in participating in the Letter Exchange Programme?
Glenney: We hope to help our students see beyond Brooklyn.
Wesley: That sounds like an excellent goal. How is the letter exchange coordinated?
Glenney: I give the students suggested topics and let them run with it. I've been amazed and delighted with the results.
Wesley: What are the reactions of your students about the letter exchange experience and about finding a friend a world away?
Glenney: It was amazing to see the connection that my students immediately felt with their pen pals. Our pen pals are orphans, so several of my students wrote about a time they lost someone they loved. Many of the letters are beautiful.
One student in my class read her pen pal's letter and learned that the girl was being bullied. My student replied: "I will take care of this if I have to fly to Africa myself!" I was stunned by the connections that were made instantly.
Wesley: Your student's empathy for her pen pal is amazing. Do you get any feedback from parents?
Glenney: YES! I've had parents and teachers ask for pen pals. One parent in particular has expressed many times that this programme is a great way to bring us together as a community. She's right.
One student actually had his fourth grade sister write a letter to his pen pal, as well. It is really refreshing to see the students sharing the experience with their families.
Wesley: Did you notice any common thread about the information that the students like to exchange? Did the letter exchange give you an opportunity to open other topics like culture or geography?
Glenney: As I said before, my students connected to the loss our pen pals have experienced as orphans. One of my students responded by saying: "I'm sorry to hear your mom and dad passed away and so my mom and dad are your mom and dad. So that makes us friends."
Wesley: That is very touching and inspiring. Did you face any challenges in keeping up with the programme?
Glenney: One challenge was to decide what we'd like to do next! My students were bursting with ideas. I put the kids into teams and each team presented a fundraising idea (my class would like to raise money to send school supplies over to their pen pals).
The winning project was a bake sale. We're on spring vacation now, but the kids will be organizing the rest of that project when we get back to school. I love that all of the ideas have been right from the students. They wanted to raise money, so they came up with ideas, and they decided what they should do. I act as a facilitator but all the ideas/projects have come straight from the kids. It's wonderful.
Wesley: Way to go Ms. Glenny! Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with us. RESPECT International wishes you, your students and their families continued success with the Letter Exchange Programme.