Letters to New Students

My senior year, my IB class wrote letters to the incoming juniors about IB and about life as an upperclassman. It was a ton of fun for us to remember the year, but it was also a touching gesture for students coming in who were unsure about what to expect.

When we turned these letters into our teacher, she handed us similar letters from our parents about life that none of us students had any idea about. We all read our letters and advice from our parents, and many of us started crying from how loving and thoughtful they were. I know I am going to keep the letter from my parents for the rest of my life.

I think this is a beautiful thing for all students to do. I think it would be best for seniors to write to incoming freshmen and for 8th graders to write to incoming 5th graders. It might be nice for 5th graders to write to incoming 1st graders, too, but everyone would have to make sure to keep their vocabulary age-appropriate.