AI Friends? Nah. These Pen Pals are the Real Deal.
Meet the teachers and students who started a pen pal program and exchanged roughly 250 handwritten letters among their four classrooms. Dearist Classroom Packs jump-started their journey by providing the instructional books, stationery, and postage stamps needed to begin writing letters. In June, after completing the program, these Dearists organized an end-of-year field trip for the chance to meet in person for the first time, pictured here. With the growing number of AI personas filling the void for real human connection, I challenge any bot to engineer the feeling these kids had when they finally met the person on the other side of their correspondence IRL.
“The kids were so excited to see each other. They greeted each other with hugs, high fives, and handshakes,” says Christine Geier, a second grade teacher at Vieja Valley Elementary School in Santa Barbara, CA. Christine and her colleagues partnered with other second and third grade teachers at Citrus Glen Elementary School, located 45 minutes down the 101 in Ventura, CA.
When asked about the benefits of students connecting with other kids through letter writing, Christine said, “They each have their own person. Forty-five minutes isn’t very far for [adults], but to them, they feel like they’re getting to know someone far away.”
You can hear more from Christine in the first episode of our new podcast, The Dearist Companion. Having worked as an elementary school teacher for three decades, Christine shared her perspective on the current state of writing at her school and the changes she has observed. “We’ve noticed that handwriting has gotten worse over the years,” she says, in parallel with a greater emphasis on learning how to type. The shift to allocating more time to typing, beginning in the third grade, over the fine-motor practice of handwriting has been driven primarily by the need for students to take standardized tests online, she says.
Letter writing not only gave her students the opportunity to have more handwriting practice, but also the chance to write freely. “They get to write what they want to write. I’m not telling them what they need to say, so their minds open and [they get] more freedom.” She adds that the program was a win-win, as all of her students were excited to write their letters, even those who typically do not enjoy writing. "It was not a struggle in any way to get anybody to write their letters."
In addition to speaking with Christine and two other teachers who participated in the pen pal program, you can hear my conversation with a pair of students who became each other's pen pal. Their insights will take you back to a time you may have forgotten. What can we learn from children about emotional well-being? Lena, an eight-year old, had this to say about the importance of writing letters: “It’s really fun to write letters because you can express your feelings in them and talk to someone about it.” What a gift for a child to already begin cultivating this sensibility. Being able to process our emotions and other peoples’ emotions - that’s how we navigate the world. That’s the beginning of empathy. And we can all use more empathy.
We are, unbelievably, halfway through the summer. Here's to making it one to remember. We look forward to bringing you the next conversation on The Dearist Companion.
