Pen pal shares her summer adventures
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When I was a kid, on more than one occasion my classmates and I were given a back to school writing assignment titled “What I Did On My Summer Vacation.” I don't see or hear of too many students completing this writing task nowadays. Perhaps it is due to some politically correct reasons or because teachers now have to follow a rigid state proscribed curriculum that often leaves very little room for teacher creativity in areas such as this. Or maybe I am just out of touch. I do hope that this back to school rite of passage is still practiced in schools somewhere.
As both a teacher and a principal, one of the things I enjoyed most when welcoming students back to school in the fall was hearing about young people's summer adventures. These conversations always brought back memories of my own childhood summers while allowing me to live vicariously through my students. Hearing about students' summer activities also gave me ideas for excursions with my own family.
I asked my Pen Pal Miss Alice Congdon to share with me her summer adventures. With her permission, Alice's writing is shared below. Reads like a pretty special summer for a pretty special kid.
Dear Mr. Ludwig,
Here is my note about summer. If you have any questions call me. Tomorrow I am going on a big horse adventure with Dad and Henry. We will be riding for hours in the woods to see the fall leaves.
I had a busy summer. At the beginning of the summer I turned 8 and went camping. They had a fishing tournament and I won. I caught a 16 inch bass all by myself. We were staying near the Finger Lakes so we got ice cream in the Seneca Lake area. The chairs looked like ice cream cones. I went camping 2 more times over the summer. When we went to Ohio I swam a bunch. The campground had a pool and a pond to swim in. The pond had fish and an inflatable. We met an inspiring lady that was camping next to us. Her name was Ivy and she was riding her motorcycle across the country by herself. On my other trip my family traveled to Benezette, Pennsylvania. I went on a horse ride an we saw 40 cows (female Elk), 10 bulls (male Elk) and 12 baby Elk. We played lots of cards in our cabin along the river. I made ice cream in a coffee can with Dad.
Some other fun things I did this summer: bike riding, played flag football, went to the movies, slept out in my treehouse, learned new card games, went to Waldameer, went to a Bisons’ game, drove my go cart, caught bugs.
Lastly, I went to my first wedding. A family friend got married. I wore a pretty dress and had a lot of fun. I will remember it forever.
From,
Alice
We may be well into the school year but it's not too late to ask a young person, "How was your summer vacation?" No matter what the response, I guarantee it will be interesting, enjoyable and rewarding. It's always good to talk to kids. It keeps you young at heart.