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I love having a ‘pen pal.’ Full Stop. I’ve had several pen pals over the years. One pen pal was an Irish pen pal who cracked the vilest jokes. I had a local pen pal from Kandy who told me how difficult it is for her to hide her teenage relationship from her family. I also have long term pen pals who are in my close friends’ circle who enjoy writing cards and letters to me.
I love the idea of having someone to write letters to. It is an ancient practice (i.e. the only form of communication before the 19th century invention of the telegraph) that is probably unfamiliar and uncomfortable to most of my students.
In the spirit of encouraging my students to try writing with pen and paper I ask them to write letters to themselves (using the first person of course) mapping out their greatest struggles and how they overcame it. This writing activity allows a student to look at their own journey from a fisheye perspective. These letters are then read by me, graded on merit and finally shredded. The personal misfortunes that students encounter are quite shocking. As teenagers and as freshmen, they have to maneuver the college experience with Harry Potter’s wand in their hands and an indelible mark somewhere across their fragile bodies. I say this because they need to maintain a decent GPA, commit to their sorority and or fraternity activities, organise charitable causes, have a ‘good time’ and