When it was time to choose an elementary school for my son, I
spent endless days agonizing over my decision. I cried,
sought advice, thought, deliberated and prayed. I even went
to Harav Kanievsky shlita to ask for a brocha
that I make the right choice.
As my son now graduates to the yeshiva of his choice, I know
that I made the right decision and it is sadly as well as
proudly that I watch him bid farewell to the place that has
been his second home for the last six years. One of the
reasons for this bittersweet response is the principal of the
school.
Not only is he involved with the running of the school, not
only does he know the names of all the children and their
(sometimes overprotective) parents, but he has taken an
interest in every aspect of their lives and has commemorated
each milestone with a personal letter!
I think it is laudable for parents to write letters to their
children's schools praising teachers who have had a positive
influence on their children. I myself have made it a point to
try to write at least one such letter a year. If a parent has
ten children in ten different schools, this would be an
undertaking of ten letters a year. Compare this, however, to
a school with over 600 children where the principal writes
each one a letter for any event that deserves commemoration
or honorable mention!
I was surprised when we received a letter after we had moved,
wishing us hatzlocha in our new apartment. My son has
received letters for participating in extra Torah classes,
taking part in competitions, when he broke his leg, when he
volunteered for anything and when he gave a dvar Torah
at a siyum Daf Hayomi. One week, we received three
letters.
I also have received immediate responses to the letters I
have written him, although he did refuse to let us take
Josh's sixth grade teacher with us to yeshiva...
This principal sends letters wishing mazel tov for
births of siblings, marriages of siblings, anything that may
have impact on the life of one of his students. He keeps up-
to-date on what is going on in each family and then pays
tribute to it.
Six hundred students! Each one, say, gets a couple of letters
a year. That's 1200 letters! Handwritten! All are personally
written by the principal. Not typed, no school stamp.
A hint for reminding one how to spell `principal' is, "A
principal is your pal." That, unfortunately, doesn't always
hold true, but in my son's school, the principal is not only
your pal, but your pen-pal.
It's obvious what this kind of investment in time, energy,
attention and postage stamps yields in terms of a child's
self esteem. For me, it has been a correspondence course in
derech eretz and education. As for my son, I can say
that he is truly well-lettered.
In this age of emails, faxes and cellphones, the mightiness
of the pen still manifests itself. I truly hope that the rest
of my son's education is as positive and that all his
roshei yeshiva are not only men of their word, but men
of their letters.
