The last three years I have talked to my students numerous times about writing as a gift. They have written letters and poems to their parents, notes of appreciation, and a letter to invite someone to apply to a position at our school. I wrote the 8th graders a letter for their graduation present.
Earlier this summer a mom of one of my students shared a birthday poem that she wrote for her daughter - a powerful poem about growing and emerging into who she is becoming. I commented to her that it hit me that I have talked so often about writing as a gift and students have had experience writing it but that many probably do not get to experience writing as a gift from their parents.
I thought back to a retreat that I went to in either junior high or high school and unbeknownst to us, our parents had gathered letters from family and friends to us that they bundled into pillows with a pouch. My mom made my pillow, and it was one of those gifts that is still so meaningful today.
The parent and I started talking about the potential for weaving in a parent project to create writing as a gift for their children as graduation gifts. So many possibilities...
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