Authors receive many letters from students—there’s nothing new about that. We love hearing from kids. They are, after all, who we write for.
What I like about the following letters is that both students talked about their teacher, Ms. Lowry. Perhaps because this took me back to my former grade school teachers whose influence still resonates in me today. I’ll always remember Mrs. Barnes, who invited students to her home over summer vacation, so she could finish reading a novel she’d begun at the end of the school year. Or my fifth grade teacher who taught us simple conversational Russian, during the time of the cold war, when the USSR was considered “the enemy.” She modeled respect for other cultures by exposing us to the language and the people (wow--what a great lesson to learn!).
Teachers are some of my most favorite people, and there are many excellent ones out there—influencing our children for the moment and for the future, laying the groundwork for their lives with care, creativity, dedication and countless hours beyond what their contract dictates.
Many teachers are now counting—not as in counting with their students, but counting the days til summer vacation. It’s almost upon us and I hope all teachers enjoy a well-earned break. It’s their time to rev up, recharge and recreate!
Here are a couple more letters I received from students:
Dear Ms. Pierce,
Hello, my name is *** ***. I’m in Ms. Lowry’s class. I think she is one of the best teacher’s ever. Every day is different with Ms. Lowry. She can talk in five different languages. What you will like the most about Sequoia is the staff.
What I like about TWO TALES OF HAWAII is that you didn’t exaggerate at all. I also liked GOOFY KNOCK-KNOCK JOKES. I liked it because all the jokes are funny. Next, I liked [PET] JOKES THAT WILL MAKE YOU HOWL because they’re jokes about pets. Finally, I think that you are going to have fun with the staff.
Your friend,
*** ***
Dear Ms. Pierce,
I just want to welcome you to Sequoia School. I think you’ll like Sequoia because it is different from other schools. My name is **** ****. I’m a fifth grader in Ms. Lowry’s class. It is fun in this class. Ms. Lowry read your stories to us. My favorite story was Two Tales of Hawaii because I learned a lot from it. I can’t wait til you come to my school.
Sincerely,
**** **** ♥
