JS News: 3 Nov 2021
What is a Pen Pal?
A pen pal is described in the Cambridge dictionary as ‘someone who you exchange letters with as a hobby, but usually have not met’ (Source: Cambridge Dictionary) The practice of having a pen pal has slowly diminished over the past few decades with people tending to move to communicating with others in a faster-paced way. Emails, Snapchats, messages, texts – these are all very efficient ways of communicating, however none of them have the one thing that makes having a pen pal special – the handwritten word.
The Australian International Schools article titled ‘The Forgotten Art of Pen Pals: Why they are important’ outlines multiple reasons why pen pals still play a vital part in today’s society, with one of the most important being that receiving a letter brings immediate joy to the recipient. A flood of positive emotions is felt when a letter arrives, with the handwriting of their pen pal showing the reader that someone out there, possibly far away, took the time to write to them.
Throughout remote learning, a number of our JS Learning Hub students and RAS students from the Secondary School have established pen pal relationships. The Pen Pal Initiative was established after discussions in the Secondary School RAS group, where students were hoping to reach out and make connections with others during lockdown. Initially, the idea was to reach out and contact students in Gamilaraay country (in Northern NSW, where the senior students would normally do a few service trips a year). After discussions within the group, the decision was made to start a little smaller and closer to home, and the idea of connecting with Junior School students was born.
Letters were written and posted.
Hobbies were shared and favourite things discussed.
Joint colouring in was done and hung on walls proudly.
Faces displayed great delight when the ‘mail’ was delivered.
Friends huddled around the lucky recipients to see what was received.
Words cannot describe the elation and joy that was felt by all.
A few of our pen pals were asked the following questions.
How did you feel writing your first letter?
At first, I was pretty nervous about writing a letter to someone I had never met. But as soon as I finished it, I was so excited to get one back – Dinu, Year 12
It was good fun to be able to do some colouring in and be able to work on it with my pen pal – it was also exciting knowing that you could have a buddy from across the school who you could connect to and share advice with! – Hannah, Year 12
How did you feel writing your first letter?
It felt great to write my first letter and it felt awesome to receive my first letter. – Ari, Year 4
What did it feel like to receive your first letter?
It felt good because we got to reach out to someone who is older and who is going through the same experience as us and knows how it feels. – Xander, Year 5
As soon as I saw the adorable handmade and decorated envelopes, I couldn't wait to open the letters. While I read them, I couldn't stop smiling and it felt so amazing! – Dinu, Year 12
It was exciting as it was the first time we got to hear from them. I was happily surprised and shocked that they put so much effort in it. I really enjoyed the card Claudia made for me. The card was filled with stuff she liked and stuff she did in her spare time. – Harmony, Year 3
I felt a sense of excitement, especially when I saw the drawings and painted rock that my pen pal had sent me – it’s really nice to have those little things that brighten up your day, and having that connection with the pen pal definitely helps with that. – Hannah, Year 12
What did it feel like 'meeting' and talking with your pen pal in real life?
It felt good to see someone in a different year that I don’t usually get to see. It was nice to see Hannah’s face. – Ari, Year 4
It felt so incredible to talk to my pen pals in real life. The video chat was awesome to break the ice and to really feel like we were all just hanging out and getting to know each other. – Dinu, Year 12
What was the best part of the video chat?
In the letter we were able to learn about each other but we got to see each other in the video. In the video I also got to see some of the other RAS students. – Rajeev, Year 5
It was getting to know my pen pal more. We got to talk about many pets we had and also it was good seeing her (Olivia) in person. – Celine, Year 4
Do you think pen pals are valuable? If so, why?
I am so glad I am involved in our pen pal program. I think it is an amazing opportunity to build friendships and connections with students in the Junior School. Not only are they incredibly cute but talking and writing to them puts all my worries away and makes me so happy, and hopefully soon I can be someone they trust and rely upon. – Dinu, Year 12
Yes! They are valuable. Sometimes in class we have had pen pals from across the world. It is good to meet new people. – Rajeev, Year 5
I definitely think pen pals are valuable, mainly because of the connections that they can create between year groups. It was so awesome to get the first letter and understand some of the perspectives of the younger kids, while appreciating their fantastic drawing abilities! – Hannah, Year 12
One more thing you might like to say about your feeling of the experience so far…
I have really enjoyed it. It feels good to connect with someone who is older than us and not in the same year. – Celine, Year 4
It was so lovely to see the photos of the excitement and anticipation that the Junior School students felt when they got their letter, even missing some Friday afternoon fun to read the letters – I was really glad that they were so excited about it. – Hannah, Year 12
Source:
The Forgotten Art of Pen Pals! Why They Are Important
