VINEMONT, Ala.- As schools and students across the county and state work to transition to at-home/distance learning due to school closures, teachers are finding ways to positively impact their students. One particular teacher at Vinemont Elementary School has made a lifelong impact on a student by taking pen to paper and sending a good old-fashioned letter. The letter was just what 9-year-old Wesley Warren needed and it has sparked a new interest as a fun way to improve a subject he has struggled with- writing.
Wesley’s mom, Leslie Warren, explained, “I corresponded a few days ago by text telling Mrs. Karen Hanson, my son’s teacher, that my son, Wesley, had completed all of the homework that she had sent home and if he could email me some more material. Ms. Hanson went one step further. She personally wrote Wesley a letter and encouraged him to write back. This letter made my son’s days and encouraged him to write, which is something he is still trying to work on. Whether her intent was to elicit learning or not from Wesley, it did just that in that it encouraged him to work on his writing skills when children are at home because of this coronavirus.”
Warren credits the improvement in her son’s reading to Ms. Hanson and feels her efforts deserve being Teacher of the Year, adding, “My son really enjoys math and before they were let out of school, his class was working on fractions. The first thing that Wesley said when he unfolded Ms. Hanson’s letter was, ‘It’s folded into six squares.’ This further shows that Ms. Hanson is a great teacher.”
Wesley also participates in an extra reading program with the Institute of Reading online to give hm the extra reading support he needs. As a toddler, Wesley lost his hearing and required tubes in his ears twice before the age of 5. Although he has since regained his hearing, his troubles as a toddler slowed his reading and speech development. Having a teacher like Ms. Hanson has been a tremendous blessing as he continues to improve his reading and writing skills.
Leslie thinks Ms. Hanson is on to something good, saying, “I think this would be a great project for each of the teachers to do and to reach out through the mail to those kids who don’t have internet.”
There is a special joy that comes from receiving a letter in the mail.
“He was like ‘What?’ Sometimes his grandmother would send him a card every once in a while. He opened it up and truthfully, it was one of the sweetest letters anyone could write to a student.”
The last nine weeks of school, Wesley made all As and Bs in Ms. Hanson’s class and that was an achievement the Warrens have been working hard to earn. Ms. Hanson has tutored Wesley and been a constant supporter since he began at school at Vinemont.
“She really took the reins to try to help him,” Leslie said.
The Warrens would love to see a group or program that encourages kids to write letters to each other, especially during the current period of social distancing and quarantines.
Leslie also said, “I want a lot of people to know that we have good teachers in this community and Ms. Hanson really does so much for her students.”
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