Teacher Buddies: Educator/Student In-School Pen Pals

 One of my favorite things I did that made a huge impact on me as an educator was to set up an in-school pen pal system between my students and other adults in the building. This served multiple purposes, but the impact was even bigger than expected. 

My students and I were reading a book about a pair of friends that moved away from each other and sent each other snail mail. The conversation steered into a conversation about the post office, addressing an envelope, and more. Most students remarked that they had never received snail mail addressed to them before, so it sparked an idea. 

I sent out a staff email (template here) and posted a "sign up sheet" (template here, just swap the fake names & bios) in the teachers lounge with a list of student names and a one-sentence bio about each student, so that educators could sign up with someone who potentially had a shared interest. Not shockingly (becuase of the amazing adults that I worked with who were all incredibly passionate about serving and supporting all students), by the end of the day, I had all students paired with a caring adult in the building. 

The "ask" was that each teacher send a letter by a certain deadline each month. Then I'd "deliver" all the letters by placing them in our classroom mail box (yes, I purchased an actual mail box from Home Depot, and the students loved it- more details on that in another post) and distribute them all at the same time. If teachers wanted to do more, they could - but I know they all have tons on their plates as well. 

It became SO MAGICAL when I shared with students that each teacher "heard of them" and their greatness and wanted to connect and be their buddy. Each student felt so loved, seen, and connected. They'd send messages, notes, pictures, drawings, and ask each other questions. When we'd walk by other teachers in the hallway, my students LIT UP with excitement and would practically shout "THAT'S MY BUDDY!" Having each student have a caring adult in their corner made them feel loved - and it also made ME feel so supported. 

There were moments when a Teacher Buddy would contact me to do a check-in on a student because they'd open up to them first in a letter. It helped me utilize my colleagues as teammates. It was also a great wake-up call to me because even as much as I tried to be approachable and warm to each child I served, I had to call myself out - I was centering myself! I should not have hurt feelings that one of my students would reach out to another adult - I SHOULD CELEBRATE THAT. Truly! Each of us connect with each other in different ways- and that's BEAUTIFUL! 

This is a great thing to launch towards the beginning of the year! More details can be found in my book, Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners.