Pen Pals Who WRITE! Using "Snail Mail" to Connect Our Students!

What is the Pen Pals Who WRITE Project?

I decided to create this project because of my wonderful experience exchanging letters with pen pals in another state. One year my class had two sets of pen pals, one in California, and one in New Jersey. In 2013-2014 school year, we were pen pals with a class in Spain, last year, Russia.

While we had fun doing projects using tech, receiving letters was even more fun!
​Sooo... I thought if I could get teachers who were interested in having their class write together..... the rest is history!

Last year, we connected with a class in Australia. The kids got to "meet" each other via Flipgrid. A previous year, we met our pen pals through Skype. So, if you are into integrating tech, you have the best of both worlds.

Every year, I connect with a different class. I make sure I get permission from parents before a child is able to connect. No permission, no pen pal. 

We only write once a month, so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. I usually start my students off with a template we created as a class and it includes a sample of a Friendly letter.

However, every child's writing strength is not the same, so they do their best. I do proofread their rough drafts, and have them fix any errors. You want the other class to be able to read it. I also read the letters sent to them.

There is so much excitement when the letters arrive!:) LOTS of excitement because letter writing is a thing of the past. You should see my kids' faces when their letters arrive!:)

If you are interested, fill out the Sign Out form to add your name to the Teacher Connection form. Click on the Teacher Connection form and reach out to a classroom. Teachers must use school email addresses. 

Hopefully, you find a class to connect with! 😎

PLEASE "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!" Using DonorsChoose.Org!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019 is a MATCH DAY!

Many times people bemoan and lament about teacher salaries, how educators don't get paid enough, that no teacher should have to pay for anything out of their own pocket, and than they do nothing.

Well, here's a way for those who can, to do. Put your money(💲)where your mouth is!

DonorsChoose.org is an amazing non-profit whose sole purpose is to "connect the public to public schools." In other words, get financial help so that teachers can continue the great things that are happening in their classrooms. Read their About Us page to get some background on how and why they began.

I have had over 20 projects funded, and I am looking forward to funding many more. (Hint, hint). I have received mice, headphones, Ipads, a rug (Do you know how much classroom rugs cost?), wobbly chairs, and just recently, a mini studio creator so that my students could create podcasts. I believe in DonorsChoose so much, that I am a DonorsChoose ambassador, letting teachers know that this resource is available to them.

Teachers request many things, like basic supplies, clothing, sports goods, tech, professional development, anything and everything that will help them provide what is needed for their classroom. The items are funded for the teacher, but, they belong to the school, so teachers are not making requests for personal items. A special bonus are the personal Thank you's you will receive from the students!

DonorsChoose gets funding from the public and from corporations who collaborate and provide funding for thousands of teachers. There are groups on FB (e.g. Caring Classroooms), Twitter etc... whose sole purpose is to get teacher projects funded.

If you want to give, go the website. You can choose teachers you know, teachers in a particular state, school, there are many options for giving. Any time is a good time to give, but the BEST time to give is when projects are being matched. For example, you give $10, the project gets $20, because a company is matching all donations. In 2018, Ripple funded every single project on DonorsChoose. BestSchoolDay. Literally. That's what it was called.😊

Please, put your Tax-deductible💲💲💲where your 😮 is, and help out a teacher today! 😊

What if Teachers Just Stopped...?

This was a FB post and I had to share it.

After being attacked online by some troll who thinks I only work 8-3, and always have 3 paid months off, and who thinks I request school supplies for myself and not for my students, I had to write this rant. I'm getting so sick and tired of how teachers are viewed and treated. 

Teachers in all fifty states should stop using their own money in their classrooms. Just stop.

If the children don't have supplies, go hungry, if the room and supplies get broken down and dirty, whatever, let it happen. Then people can truly understand how much work and money teachers put in behind the scenes. If you paid for any of those decorations, books, science lab supplies, furniture, lamps, pillows, remove them from the classroom; let parents see how bare bones a classroom is without a teacher's input. 

Also, teachers should only work their contracted hours. Mine is 7 am – 2:30 pm. Imagine if I didn't contact parents, didn't grade, didn't lesson plan, didn't sponsor clubs, didn't volunteer to chaperone after 2:30 pm. Imagine if all the teachers stopped doing all of that. Sorry, I didn't call that parent about their child's grade because it was 2:31. Sorry, I can't sell concessions at the Friday football game; ask for parent volunteers. Sorry, I can't sponsor Future Business Leaders of America because it's an after-school club. Sorry, I didn't get that assignment graded yet; I used to grade from 3-4 or 5 pm nearly every day, but I stopped doing that. 

Again, unless we stop making these personal sacrifices, then people will keep expecting us to bend over backwards and take it. And they will never understand all the time, effort, money, and work that we truly put in unless we force them to see it.

What if we just stopped?
We are a profession that is taken for granted.
That "teacher as martyr or Superhero" syndrome has allowed us to be taken advantage of.
That "it's for the kids" line gives people the right to pay us very little, but expect so much.
They uses phrases like, "All in" to make you believe that if you don't participate in everything outside of your school day, even though if you have your own life, that there is something wrong with YOU.
At the same time they are spouting "self-care", they are putting 28+ students in our classrooms.
The list is endless.
What if teachers just stopped?
Think about it.