This week’s Carnival of Education has a post by ELL teacher and blogger Larry Ferlazzo on how he’s recently tried writing personal letters to some of his students.
In the letter that he posts, which he says he handed to the student in a sealed envelope with his name on it, Ferlazzo tells the youth why he hopes he will stay in school. Ferlazzo says he’d be sorry if the young man wouldn’t use all the “smarts” that he has. The letter contains some tough love.
This is such a simple way for teachers to establish a connection with their students, but I’ve actually never heard of any teacher doing it.