The Last Day of School: A Letter Ritual

You may recall from my September 2022 post, that I begin each year with a letter of introduction to my students. I actually try to do this on the second day of school. Then, I ask my students to write a letter of introduction to me. It does two things: it helps me to get to know my students right away, and it tells me what we need to work on first in writing and grammar. I also read each class a picture book, but that is a topic for another blog post.

In order to make our year makes sense, and to bring things full-circle, the last day of school also includes letters. I hand back those letters of introduction, and I give my students time to read through, react to what they wrote, and look through my earlier comments. These letters are kept safe in a folder all year long. I sometimes use them to check on a situation or fact when the need arises. But usually, they stay stored in a drawer for the entire school year.

Once the students have reacted and chatted about what they just received, I hand out a new letter. This time, my letter to them does a bit of looking back and a bit of looking forward. I remind them of the things I promised at the beginning of the year. I run through a variety of experiences we have had together. I have a little bit of fun at their expense. Then, I lay out my hopes for them as they move on to a new year.

This year, I had three different letters to write: one to sixth grade, one to seventh grade, and one to eighth grade. If all goes according to plan, my sixth and seventh grade students will move on to another year with me. My eighth-graders, however, move on to our high school. So, I send them forth to the high school teachers with the hope that they will impress these people. I wish them well. I tell them that I will miss them.

Even though I give each student a copy of the letter, I read it aloud to each class. We react together. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes my students say things like, “I forgot about that,” or “Remember when…?” In the last paragraph, the going forward paragraph, there are even a few tears. I know that I often get a catch in my throat.

I ask my students to keep these letters. My suggestion is that they place them in their school yearbooks. Perhaps when they are older, they will come across the letters and remember, for a little while, what it was like during sixth or seventh or eighth grade English.

Think about writing letters to your students: one at the beginning of the year, one at the end of the year, and a letter from them thrown in as well. It marks the beginning of a relationship. It gives closure to your time together. It has worked well for me for about eighteen years.