► 18: The Letter That Never Arrived: The Evolution of a Social Concerns Program in a Middle School

When Jacob’s class wrote letters to develop one-on-one relationships with senior citizens at a local care center, he and other students anxiously awaited responses from their senior friends. Jacob, a seventh-grade Hispanic boy, seemed to be in turmoil with himself and his surroundings. Living with his mother and two brothers in a fairly humble environment, he had a number of disciplinary referrals to the office for fighting and various classroom disruptions, yet he managed to demonstrate a caring for others that belied his anger. His class had planned a service project that included each student corresponding with a senior resident at a local care center, followed by an actual visit with his or her new “pen pal.” The students’ visit would include the sharing of food, games, and conversation in hope of providing a much needed service to the people they recognized as being in need of companionship. However, the events that followed did not reflect what had been expected by the teacher or the students.