B-V Students Share Letters with Soldiers in Afghanistan

From the During the 2010-11 school year, students in Mrs. Eyring and Mrs. Holzman’s fourth grade class at wrote letters to soldiers in Afghanistan.  These letters were sent to Captain Robert Yarrish, a Navy doctor who went to Afghanistan in June and planned to return in December. 

The children’s letters were sent in June of 2011, at the end of the school year;  Captain Yarrish received the letters and shared them with other soldiers (mostly doctors, nurses and medical personnel).  Many students got return letters in November and December and were excited to be able to share their new experiences in 5^th grade with “their” soldier.  The students who received letters wrote back to “their” soldier, and those who did not receive a letter back wrote another letter addressed to any soldier. 

This was a great learning experience.  The improvement in writing was clear in the second letter; students were writing more complex and interesting sentences and were more organized with their thoughts and paragraphs.  They also wrote more the second time around, especially if they were returning a letter.  Students learned that you change your writing for different audiences; a general soldier letter is very different than a response to a specific soldier who has written to you.  This wasn’t just an assignment for school, but a writing response to a real life situation.

Last week, Captain Yarrish and his wife visited Mrs. Eyring and Mrs. Holzman’s fifth grade class – most of whom had looped up with them from fourth grade.  He came in his dress uniform, asked the kids questions, answered their questions, and shared his medals, medallions and other special items.  He then showed a power point he had created documenting his preparation in boot camp, his trip over to Afghanistan, some of the vehicles and weapons, the medical compound, the hospital and his trip back home.  Throughout his presentation, he made sure that the students made connections to what he was showing them.   He also made it clear that the letters were very special and important to the members of the armed forces overseas.

Since his visit, the students have been working on drawing pictures and writing notes to send to their soldiers, sharing their visit with Captain Yarrish.  Although only a couple of letters have trickled in replying to the letters sent in December,  the students have become excited about sending notes and letters more frequently rather than waiting for an answer before writing again.