Art of Letter Writing

February 4, 2016

Dear Letter Writing,

Initially it was the nostalgia that drew me to the idea of writing letters to people instead of writing a narrative essay. I thought that letter writing was simply another form of communication between people. I remember reading letters from an uncle in the marines, and then postcards from a friend who had to spend a summer away from home. As I got older I sent and received less letters and I missed it. I thought it was just me and my talent at being melodramatic when it comes to words, but apparently I am not the only one who loves this hidden gem, this lost form of art. I learned that there was a reason I was so connected to this particular form of writing and why it made such a great assignment.

As I began to prepare the lecture I was surprised by the journals and research I found supporting why letter writing is important. I found TED talks and books written about this art. Turns out there was a reason I loved it so much. I read more than a few articles that stated writing letters deepens one’s connection to another. It also enhances one’s mood. These two reasons alone are critical in this time of disconnect as a result of social media. Also, it’s the heart of winter, complete with sunless days, freezing winds etc…We could all use some non-habit forming mood stabilizers. Week one of class lectures seemed to teach themselves as I presented this information to my classes. The students listened. They didn’t even fake listen as they sometimes do. Like on occasion I will be presenting ideas and a student will look up and we lock eyes and they nod their head as if their listening but I can tell behind their expressionless eyes they’re really processing a recently read text. Either way I saw less of that. I could see they were anxious at the opportunity to connect with someone they love by form of a hand-written letter.

Going forward, this assignment will evolve as all lessons do. But I gotta say, I love the core of it. I love the intimacy of hand-writing. I love the three paragraph demi-structure. I love that my students trusted me on this one, especially so early in the semester when they don’t know me very well yet. Yesterday, I began grading their letter-essays. They were good. Some were very moving and truthfully some, of course, were half-assed. Overall though, I am happy with this and look forward to teaching it again. Thank you letter writing, for still standing. I hope we can continue to breathe more life into you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. H