Each month, we are pleased to host one on the blog one of the teachers who is running Letters to a Pre-Scientist in her classroom. This month, Tanique Origgio, a 4th and 5th grade science teacher in the South Bronx, describes her classroom’s first letter opening party!
Hi! My name is Ms. Origgio and I am a 4th and 5th grade Science teacher at Children’s Aid College Preparatory school, located in the Bronx, N.Y. It is our first year with Letters to a Pre-Scientist, and we recently had our very first letter opening party.
Our first letter opening party a wonderful experience! Our scholars were so excited to receive personalized and unique letters from scientists all over the world. We waited until we received all of our letters. We created a list in class with each scholar’s name to mark when their letter arrived. This built anticipation until our letter opening day. On the day of the letter opening party, while reading their letters, most students could not hold in their excitement. Some of our scientists wrote in-depth letters that included pictures of their pets or favorite places which gave our scholars a true sense of who they are corresponding with. These letters are both inspiring and motivational.
These letters can be life changing for some of our scholars. Receiving a positive message can brighten a child’s day, especially our children that face daily challenges. Seeing the eyes of my students grow wide and almost illuminate as they read their letters, made the experience even more worthwhile. We encourage our scholars to set goals and strive for the best. Letters to a Pre-Scientist is an organization that is in alignment with our school’s culture and thinking.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist is a great opportunity that allows young scholars to have a rare chance to ask questions to a scientist about a field of study that they are interested in. This experience can be uplifting and encouraging to a scholar’s growth and development. Being able to correspond with men and women who are in pursuit of reaching their dreams can give hope to our scholars and our community. We are inspired by these letters and hope to continue to work together to promote curiosity and positive thinking within our scholars.
