The Children’s Literature class at ACE is run by English teacher Daniela Esposito. In the Children’s Lit class, we go into children’s books, look at the educational themes and fun ideas, and then eventually create our own children’s books. It’s a great class and helps you connect to your inner child. Another amazing offer this class has is pen pals!
ACE partnered up with a third-grade class at Ellsworth Elementary School. I was assigned to a nine-year-old girl. I sent her a letter explaining to her a bit about who I am and from where I come, what I do out of school like work, my hobbies, and little fun facts. I had some questions for her that she answered and liked that we got to know each other better. We eventually ended up going to Ellsworth and meeting with our little buddies. It was such a nice experience. The kids were so cute and excited to see us.
We interviewed the students. I asked Khriselynn, “What is your favorite part of the trip?” She said, “Seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids makes me feel happy inside.”
The next interview was with Sam. I asked him if he enjoyed his time on the trip. He said it was fun and he enjoyed getting to know his pen pal more. The last interview was with Sheyly where I asked her how it feels being looked up to by the children. She said, “It feels good and makes me feel special to know a little one looks at me like a superhero. I just try to be a good example.”
Children need to have people to look up to because it helps with relationships and decision-making. Having pen pals can help with the children’s communication skills because of how they have to open up to you and talk about themselves. The kids also learn how to initiate conversation and how to mirror and ask questions, show empathy, and become a person with great communication skills. It is also good because it helps the children to learn and to write letters. In the process, they are also learning how to improve their literacy skills.
Overall, having a little pen pal was very nice. The Ellsworth kids were very adorable. I’m glad we had this opportunity to interact with them.
