This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
The feeling of having someone in your corner is empowering and uplifting. In a time when life is hard, knowing that there is someone cheering for you from afar---just because---makes a huge difference!
My middle school students have been uplifted by their pen pals, future teachers at Murray State University, all year, and they want the chance to meet them face-to-face.
Students supporting and inspiring each other across state lines and many miles is truly a joyful experience.
My students are middle schoolers in the southeastern region of the United States. They are incredibly diverse and economically disadvantaged. Some of them are 7th grade English students, and others are 8th graders taking German for high school credit. They are the best and brightest in our school.
Most of my students are from non-English speaking homes and have navigated countries and languages to be here in the United States succeeding in school. Their stories, told with child-like innocence, are humbling and inspiring.
Throughout the entire school year, my students have been sharing their stories, hopes, dreams, and innermost thoughts with pen pals who want to be teachers someday.
My Project
In working with a dedicated education professor at Murray State, we were able to match each of my students with a pen pal. When letters and treat bags arrive at both locations, students at both levels squeal with joy as they tear into their treats and letters with great anticipation. They have laughed and been moved to tears after reading their letters. My students lovingly pocket their new pencils and pens and beg to take their letters home so they can write back at length. The pre-service teachers are vicariously experiencing life in a high-need school by getting the opportunity to look at education through the eyes of students and the teacher. They are learning the pain and joys of transient students and ever changing rosters.
We hope to travel to Murray State so we can meet our pen pals face-to-face and celebrate the powerful relationships forged via pen and paper. Upon arrival, MSU is going to provide a nice lunch and campus tour for us, so we can enjoy a nice day together. My students need help paying for a bus to meet the pen pals they have been corresponding with all year long.
Our hope is that the love and awareness of college encouraged through these dedicated pen pals and a campus tour will help these amazing young people feel like college is something to strive for.
Offering them the opportunity to see Murray State might lead them to apply at MSU within the next five years. Supporting our highest need students by exposing them to college while simultaneously preparing the next generation of teachers to teach students just like mine are the most powerful outcomes imaginable!
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Clemson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
