Practice your letter writing skills!

Handwritten notes or letters seem to be a novelty these days in the age of emails, text messages, and word processing. Many of my friends and family even email their Holiday Cards to us! In my opinion, handwritten notes and letters really say a person cares. Remember those handwritten notes you got in your lunchbox as a child? How about a valentine from a secret crush? Have you ever received a handwritten note from a teacher?

One way to "reward" your students (without giving them "things") is to make extra time for them. Some teachers schedule "V.I.P" time with students who earn rewards. Another way to show students you have noticed their hard work is to write them a handwritten, personalized note. Children love hearing their teachers say nice things to them and about them. With a handwritten note, children can save/savor teachers' words of praise and share them with their caregivers or parents. From an instructional standpoint, teachers can model good handwriting, grammar, written communication/authentic discourse, and new vocabulary through handwritten notes to children.

A great gift for yourself or a student teacher friend is fun, colorful stationery or notecards and fancy pens. Think about what might make a child in your classroom feel special. If you choose to write to children, it is imperative that spelling and grammar are correct because you are a model for them (and their parents and caregivers will most likely see your writing too!).

You can make your own stationery on the computer or with paper, stamps and stickers. You can also buy notecards at the dollar store or you can order personalized stationery from places like http://www.thestationerystudio.com/ But, you do not have to spend a lot of money for the supplies. What the note says is more important than the paper!

It is a good idea to make a copy or take a picture of your notes to children. These can be a good discussion point during an interview. You can discuss how you use handwritten notes as rewards, for modeling language arts skills, and as feedback.