Thanks to a teacher and seniors, some kids learn what it’s like to write a letter
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In Omaha, Neb., third graders in Allison Birkemeier's class have been exchanging letters with the seniors at New Cassel Retirement Center.
Birkemeier, proving again that teachers are awesome, came up with the idea while visiting the retirement home. And she said some of her students didn’t know how to write letters. And they've never gotten anything in the mail, she told the Omaha World-Herald.
So they learned what doing both are like; they learned a little history, too. But the pen pals had never met until this week.
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When they finally met in person, the pen pals read books, played games and took photos together. One resident taught her pen pal how to knit. And two students taught their resident a math game using playing cards.
The students wrote poetry books to give the residents. Others brought slime as gifts.
Birkemeier told the paper her lesson plan included an important takeaway.
"You don’t need to give gifts,” Birkemeier said. “You need to give time.”