You got mail!
STUDENTS ON THE WRITE TRACK WITH PEN PAL PROJECT
AFTER a year-long exchange of letters and postcards, SMK Taman Panglima in Taiping, Perak students finally met their pen pals from SMK Lohan, Sabah.
The 22 SMK Taman Panglima students, who joined the trip, have been exchanging letters with their pen pals, sharing about hobbies, idols and school life.
According to project coordinator and English teacher Nor Kamaliah Mohd Hashim, students were not allowed to exchange photos, phone numbers and social media handles in their letters and postcards.
“Through the correspondence, students learnt facts and figures about another state. More importantly, they saw the day-to-day activities of their peers who live different lives.
“In getting to know one another, they recognised similarities and learnt to appreciate their rich cultural differences,” she said.
The project started out as a postexamination and outreach programme for Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 students last year.
After the encouraging feedback and positive attitude towards learning English, the school's head of English Panel, Siti Nurizan Yusof decided that the programme is to be carried out as part of the Highly Immersive Programme involving more than 200 Forms One to Five students this year. Another seven schools were included in the programme.
The trip to Sabah was supported by a retired teacher of the school, Zaifina Sufian who helped in securing the funds.
“Their pen pals wrote so many things about Sabah, especially Kundasang and Ranau, so the students wanted to experience it themselves. I thought it would be incredibly enlightening to form their own opinions about Sabah rather than just reading about it in the letters.
“The students kept exchanging letters but with no hint about the trip; we wanted it to be a surprise. Before the visit, the students wrote their replies to the letters from Sabah and handed them personally to their pen pals at their first meeting,” Nor Kamaliah said, adding that they also engaged in cultural activities for two days.
Student Helmi Hakim Khairul Muzaffar said he was ecstatic as it was his first time visiting Sabah and meeting his pen pals.
“I got butterflies in my stomach waiting for the teacher to finally introduce us in person. The view at SMK Lohan is magnificent as I got to see Mount Kinabalu clearly from the school. It was a wonderful cultural experience.
"My friends taught me a few words and phrases in the Dusun dialect. I also learnt about the different races and cultures, social activities and traditional delicacies.
“It motivates me to be accepting and to continue to learn more. I hope that the special ties will last forever and I can’t wait for my turn to introduce them to my hometown.
“I am also thankful for my teachers for giving me the chance to communicate through letters and postcards. It helped me strengthen my writing skills,” he said.
Another student, Abdul Hatem Akhtar Abdul Rasheed, described the experience as eye-opening.
“Although we had communicated about each other’s state, there is more to Sabah than meets the eye. It is a land rich in natural resources, culture and heritage.
“I got a taste of the local food, which I have never eaten before. The scavenger hunt at Poring Hot Spring was amazing. We bonded and got to know each other better while hunting for clues,” he said.
Abdul Hatem added that he will continue writing to his pen pals as they still have many stories to share.
“I have convinced my friends in Sabah to visit me in Taiping. I feel like we are becoming the best of friends after meeting each other,” he added.
Writing letters empowers the students’ vocabulary and improves their grammar, said Nor Kamaliah.
“At first, the students were not keen on writing letters. They were so accustomed to using abbreviations and short forms when sending text messages. This project serves as a platform for the students to write properly.
“Once the students got their first reply, they were thrilled and couldn’t wait to write back.
“Through this project, the students had a chance to experience the traditional mail system while making friends and improving English proficiency.
“I want the students to feel the excitement of receiving an envelope in the mailbox which is more fun than email. The students took their time to handwrite what they wanted to share, curating the most noteworthy moments.
“They also exchanged bookmarks, stickers, postcards, origami and friendship bands which they cannot do via emails or online chats,” she said.
Nor Kamaliah hopes to continue the project with more students in collaboration with other schools.