It really started as just a lesson on how to write a letter for Mrs. Dela Cruz’s Grade 2 class. “Every letter has five elements: the heading, the greeting, the body, the closing and the signature,” explains Mrs. Dela Cruz. To teach these five elements, Mrs. Dela Cruz used numerous methods. The students learned a song naming the five elements; danced, comparing different parts of their body to the different parts of a letter; drew pictures; and created a graphic organizer with each of the elements on one side and examples of each element on the other. “We use differentiation (or different methods of teaching) because not all students learn the same way,” Dela Cruz continues. “Some students will learn better by hearing the lesson and others will learn better through movement. Still others will understand the concepts by looking at the elements on cards and organizing them in the correct order.”
The kids practiced writing letters to their parents or friends, but Dela Cruz was working towards something bigger. She wanted to motivate her students to write to a person that they could all agree on and from whom they would be excited to receive a response. Inspired by the thought that the kids would be excited to write to a famous person with whom they might have things in common, she cut out pictures of President Obama, spread them out on the students’ desks and asked them to talk about what they noticed in the pictures. “I started hearing, ‘Hey, he’s eating shave ice!’, ‘Whoa, he likes to body surf?!’, and ‘I wonder if he gets his hot dogs from Costco,’” shared Dela Cruz. And it was decided. The culmination of the letter-writing lesson would be individually written letters to the President of the United States to wish him a Happy President’s Day.
Dela Cruz wrote her own letter to President Obama, explaining the lesson and asking if the students could receive a response. She sealed up the letters, put them in the mail box and waited. February, March and April came and went without a response, until she opened her mail on May 2. “My students were so excited for the letter!” exclaimed Mrs. Dela Cruz. The letter read:
Dear Students:
Thank you for writing and for recognizing President’s Day. Stories from young people like you inspire me every day and I am glad you took the time to tell me a little bit about your life.
In the years ahead, always remember that nothing is beyond your reach as long as you are willing to dream big and work hard. If you stay focused on your education, I know there are no limits to what you can achieve.
Thank you, again, for sharing your story with me. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
What began as a lesson on how to write a proper letter became a once in a life time experience that the students will not soon forget.
Mrs. Dela Cruz and her class show off the photos they received from President Obama.
The students were excited to receive a response to their letters from President Obama.
