Holy Family students meet their BCU pen pals

By JULIE KEANE, Globe Staff Reporter
November 27, 2003

Briar Cliff University students went back to grade school for a day to help the students at Holy Family-St. Joseph with lesson projects dealing with language arts and communication skills.

Seventeen students in the upper-level Teaching Elementary Language Arts course at Briar Cliff have been corresponding with the students at the St. Joseph Center through letters for the last ten weeks.

The pen-pal project was designed to help students at both schools with the lessons they are currently learning in school. The letters helped the fourth grade students with handwriting, grammar and communication skills; while the pen pal letters gave the BCU students actual grade school work to help them learn teaching skills and make lesson projects.

"I think that it is good for the fourth graders because it helps with their writing and the format of letter writing," said Donna Ludwig, who is the substitute teacher for the fourth graders. "I think that it is good for the Briar Cliff students because they get the hands on experience working with the students. It helps their creativity with making the learning centers."

Ludwig also said that the pen pal project helps the fourth grade student gain incentive from the BCU students to obtain higher education.

After ten weeks of writing back and forth, the 24 Holy Family students and the Briar Cliff students met for the first time on Nov. 19 in the basement of the St. Joseph's church.

The BC students had devised learning games, which included mini lessons on grammar, writing, reading, speaking and communicating for the St. Joe's students.

"As future teaches, we need experience with actual students," said Miranda Beedle, junior elementary education major at BCU. "We put together eight final projects and we brought them with us and we are testing them out on the students."

Beedle went on to say that the project worked well and the Holy Family students seemed to be enjoying themselves while learning.

Sister Kathy Knipper, who is the professor for the teaching course at Briar Cliff, was the one who came up with the idea for the students to become pen pals. She chose Holy Family-St. Joseph's Center because she recently taught Bobbi Trobaugh, who is the forth grader's teacher, in the Master of Education program at Briar Cliff. Sister Kathy wanted to work with someone who had a connection with Briar Cliff and the education department. She also chose St. Joseph's because the students at St. Joseph represent a multicultural experience that the teaching students need.

This is the second year the that two schools have participated in the project. Unfortunately, because the class has ended the two groups of students will not be writing back and forth anymore. The Nov. 19 meeting was the final assessment for the BCU students and their class concluded with first term, but Sister Kathy believes that both groups gained experience through the experience.

"I think that both students groups benefit and that is what education is about - lifelong learning," she said.