Professional Ponderings

When freewriting about a memorable writing experience I wrote about one that is still ongoing: writing letters to my husband. He is in basic training right now and the only way that we are able to communicate is through letters. With the Internet, cell phones, IM, email and blogs it is rare that I ever send or receive a letter. The only exception to this is the usual pile of holiday greeting cards.

However there is something so exciting about receiving a letter in the mail. The formal heading, the date on the top and real handwriting present a totally different feel than an email. The anticipation of waiting for the mailman (or is it mail-person now?) to come brings back memories of waiting for college acceptance letters or a birthday card from Grandma. The disappointment is great when the metal handle is pulled down, the door to the mailbox screeching, and you look inside to see a dark abyss scattered with the “have you seen me” ad and a phone bill; but the excitement just increases knowing that at the same time tomorrow there might just be a letter in that tin box. And the wait will have been worth it.
A lot of times reading what others have written does not provide this much excitement. Maybe students would be more excited to read and write if they were to write letters. Even in this age of constant technology buzzing around us, kids still pass pen and paper notes in class. Some type of pen-pal exchange might just help with writing, and maybe the students will get that rush of waiting for and reading a long awaited letter from a friend.