Last week there was much said about the life of President George H.W. Bush — the last American president from “The Greatest Generation” — however, one aspect of his legacy seems especially important to me. He was known as a prolific letter writer. Since I am a sucker for a handwritten note, I skimmed through a few of his letters. I was moved by President Bush’s thoughtful, affirming, hopeful, and encouraging messages.
I have grandparents who hail from a similar generation, and they, too, spread their thoughts and hopes to family and friends through hand-written correspondence. My late grandmother’s personal notes were especially meaningful to me in those tricky, decision-filled days of late high school and college. I recall feeling terrifically comforted when reading her letters or cards. They are part of her legacy as a kind, decent human being.
In a world where we send off dozens of text messages and emails each day, communication and correspondence can become perfunctory and mindless. It would do us well to consider the power of a hand-written note as modeled by generations before us.
A teacher-mentor of mine uses written notes to encourage and motivate her students. She writes notes to students on postcards (which she addresses all at once by printing labels and quickly slapping them on blank cards) and sends each kid several handwritten-notes home throughout the school year. What I admire about this practice, which is similar to that of older sages like my grandma, is that it is not random or at all off-handed. It takes effort and intentionality to find good things to write down for each kid. My colleague is a purposeful good-thing-finder, and hundreds of her students have felt that terrific sense of affirmation and comfort because of the notes she sends home.
We may not ever be called “The Greatest Generation,” but surely we can learn from those who were and use our words to spread love in an out of our classrooms.
Joy & cheer,
Lindsay