Even though a new school year is just beginning for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, many students around the world have already been hard at work hitting the books for a while now.
An increasing number of children around the world have the option to go to school year round, but the dropout rate is still alarming. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, “in 32 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, at least 20 percent of children enrolled are not expected to reach the last grade.”
Wow. At least 20 percent are not projected to graduate. When I read that my mind begins to race with so many questions.
How do we inspire children to reach their full potential with the help of education? How do we look out for those who might get left behind? How do we help them stay in school from afar?
Thankfully, letter writing allows you to maintain a personal relationship with the child you sponsor and cheer them on from miles away. Through this outlet, you can remind them how impactful education can be. You can even share how education has played a significant role in your life.
When you write letters to the child or children you sponsor, asking them questions about their schooling is simple way to start encouraging them to do their best in the classroom.
As you write your letters this month, start asking about their educational experiences. Choose a few questions to create a conversation focused on scholarship.
1. How long does it take you to get to school?
2. What is your school like?
3. What grade are you in this year?
4. What makes you excited to learn?
5. What skills are you learning?
6. Do you think school is easy or hard? Why?
7. Do you enjoy working in groups or do you like to work alone?
8. What subject do you like the most? Why?
9. What are your dreams for the future?
10. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?
Finally, end your letter with heartening words that will last even after graduation:
You can do it!
I’m praying for you.
Don’t give up!
I believe that you can succeed.
You are loved no matter what!
When you show interest in children’s learning, they’ll notice.
They’ll notice that you care. They’ll notice their potential.
They’ll notice that education is something worth cherishing. And their awareness may blossom into academic achievement.
Your letters have the power to influence the child or children you have chosen to invest in. They really do make a difference. Use your words this month to inspire them and get their mental gears shifting into learning mode!
How do you encourage the student you sponsor in his or her academics? Share in the comments below! And be sure to check out our Second Friday Letter-Writing Club board on Pinterest and share your great ideas for encouraging scholastic excellence in your letters!
Joining our Second Friday Letter Writing Club collaborative board on Pinterest allows you to share you letter-writing ideas and get ideas from other sponsors. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and then send an email to [email protected] so we can add you as a contributor to the group board.
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It’s funny…my girl actually sort of encourages ME with A+ excellence more than I do her! But I still make sure to tell her that I’m proud of her for doing well in school.
Like Judy Bush, we have also sponsored a child for years, and every letter we received said basically the same thing, “I am fine, hope you and family are doing well. I am doing good in school.” That’s basically it, the same every time. The last two years I have struggled with writing back the way I should. We are not able to grow in a relationship that I had hoped would encourage Neptali. Not good with letters, I have failed him.
Kathleen, I’m sorry the correspondence with Neptali has not been what you expected :(. There’s always an opportunity for you to start over and try to write to him more often! It is rather hard for the children to write letters inviting sponsors into deeper areas of their lives when they don’t hear back from the sponsors. I would so encourage you to make a goal of writing even just once or twice per year to him, letting him know that you love him and think about him. I cannot even begin to tell you how much that will encourage him!
I started sponsoring a 16yr old teenager because I was convicted by God to choose an older child. I sponsored him for not even a year and wrote him online at least 4 times, but never received anything from him. Unfortunately, I received a letter from the organization a couple months ago saying he had dropped out of the program. I was very disappointed and hope he received my letters. I still pray for him, but have now started sponsoring another boy.
Cynthia, I am so sorry that your sweet boy left the program before you received a letter from him. Please know that he did receive your letters, which I am sure he welcomed with sincere gratefulness and joy. Thank you so much for investing in his life while you had the chance to, even though it was cut short. The Lord had a reason for bringing you into his life!
My husband and I started sponsoring our child when he was only 7 years old and he is now 12. We write regularly from our hearts by both paper and online. Our letters meet all the criteria and include all the suggestions of writing to your child. We include photos, interactive projects he can share with his family, projects, love, encouragement, and how we rely on God, prayer and praise. Yet over the 5 year period all we have received are a hand full of letters. They do not reply to anything we have written or acknowledge any of the pages or projects. What we receive are generic letters written by his aunt that all say the same thing which is very little such as one line of I like math and soccer and that’s it. We understand the delayed delivery time, customs, communication and all of that. However, it is frustrating because we want a relationship with him and truly want to be an influence in his life. We feel our letter writing is futile. Our major concern is could he possibly not be receiving our letters and is feeling the same way we are. Is there anyway to know or find out?
Judy, I am deeply sorry that you have not received many letters from Jeff since you started sponsoring him :(. It breaks my heart to hear that you have not been able to connect with Jeff through your letters. We really appreciate you investing in Jeff with your time and love. Please rest assured that he is receiving every precious letter you send to him. I have sent an inquiry to the field office in Haiti. They will make sure Jeff is doing well, gather information for us, and ask him to write a letter to you. It will take about 6-8 weeks to receive a response from our field office. We will be in contact with you as soon as we hear back. Please know that your letters do have a positive impact on your child, even though it is not evident in his response letters. I’m so sorry that you have not had a great experience with correspondence with Jeff, and we thank you so much for letting us know so we can figure out what is happening. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you all for these comments. I really struggle at times to know what to say to my sponsored child. I don’t feel like I am connecting very well, and that makes me put off writing (VERY bad for the child). So glad for all the encouragement.
I ask them what their favorite subject is. Most of them say math. I ask them how they get to school. I ask them to tell me about their school day, what they study, etc. If they aren’t doing well tell them to keep trying and that I am proud of their effort. One girl failed her grade and apologized for letting me down. I told her I still loved her and she would do better the next year and she did.I told her to never give up. One of my boys almost dropped out but he said my encouragement made him stay. He got a engineering technician diploma
My little boy wants to be a veterinarian, and I a nurse. I am only a few years older than him, so I always tell him that we will do this together. We both have long years of school that will help us live out big dreams. He loves school, so that is so encouraging ❤️
Great job Gabby! You shared some great questions we can be asking our sponsored children. Looking forward to adding a couple of these to the next letters I write 🙂
“If you have learning, you have everything.”
To the Jews of the Diaspora, these were no idle words but a means for their own survival in hostile soils.
Likewise, they understood that education was closely linked to worship.
Today, many people devote themselves to study for various reasons but very few consider study a form of worship.
It may be a difficult task to bring such awareness into the lives of children, but if we seriously consider education the only way out of poverty as well as a form of worship, then we will be able to rekindle our commitment to our children’s lives.
There is no better thing for us to do than invest in education of children.