THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504280228
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
LETTER WRITING and geography lessons have been everything but a burden for some students at Holland Elementary School.
In fact, learning has been fun for eight classes involved in Trucker Buddy International Inc. (T.B.B.I.), a pen pal program which puts professional truck drivers in contact with students around the country. This partnership requires truckers to send postcards and letters to assigned classrooms on a weekly basis, and students to write back once a month.
Jeri Lengel, academic coordinator and Chapter I resource teacher at Holland, decided to contact the company after seeing it advertised in a teacher magazine.
Since she has visited every state in the union, Lengel figured she should spread her wings. ``I've always felt like children don't have a general knowledge of their country,'' Lengel said. ``They don't have any idea of its vastness.
``When I saw the article, it just seemed like an answer - an opportunity for the children to learn about their country first-hand.''
Second-grade teacher Miriam Rodriguez is glad she signed up last fall when Lengel presented the information. ``It's been a great success,'' she said of the program. ``We've been lucky.''
Whether it's been luck or not, Rodriguez's classroom has received a wealth of letters from its trucker buddy, ``Colonel Mustard,'' an Ashland resident who drives for Cox Transportation Services.
Postcards from places such as Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as truck trading cards, place mats and a color photo of his rig, cover a yellow and blue bulletin board at the front of the class.
Rodriguez said all of this mail has motivated the children. ``One of our objectives this year is letter writing,'' she said. ``But they don't think of it as work. It's fun for them.''
Seven-year-old Masumi Black, a student in Rodgriguez's class, said she likes having a pen pal. ``It's nice having a friend,'' she said. ``He drives a truck and we don't. He goes a lot of places.''
Besides keeping the kids excited, the program has taught them a few things. ``It's been a great learning experience,'' Rodriguez added. ``When we look a state up on the map, it's more than just a pink state. They know it's a real place and people actually go there.''
Many of the students, as well as Rodriguez, hope ``Colonel Mustard'' will visit Holland. ``I want to see him and I want to see his truck,'' said 7-year-old Joey Turner. ``I hope he comes.''
This wish came true for another classroom involved with the program when ``Joe,'' an independent driver from Lenoir, N.C., stopped by to spend the afternoon with the students in Sally Reed's third-grade class.
In March, Joe, who had just visited Idaho, brought potatoes for all the students. After the students presented him with a care package, he let them walk around the back of his rig and allowed each child to sit behind the wheel.
This visit is only one of the many things he has done for the third-graders. He has sent more than 50 postcards and a handful of letters over the past three months.
Proud of their buddy, the students have all the cards posted on a huge map in their classroom and use them to follow his travels. Every time he goes somewhere new, the children mark it with a sticker.
``He's helping us by sending us postcards about the states,'' said 9-year-old Antwan Robinson. Joe has also encouraged students to learn state capitals and bought them a book to help them along.
Reed said because of Joe the students have gained much more than writing and geography lessons. ``He's a great role model,'' she said. ``He stresses how important it is to have your education, no matter what job you do. He's really wonderful.'' MEMO: For more information about Trucker Buddy International, write P.O. Box
2560, Arizona City, Ariz., 85223, or call 1-800-MY-BUDDY. Currently, the
organization's membership includes more than 5,200 drivers and
teachers.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
Kari Bartnick, 8, left; Katie Baker, 9, and Antwan Robinson, 9, who
are students in Sally Reed's third-grade class at Holland Elementary
School, point out spots on the map where ``Trucker Buddy Joe'' had
driven. Postcards from the driver also surround the map.
Jeri Lengel, academic coordinator and Chapter I resource teacher at
Holland Elementary, brought the pen-pal program, Trucker Buddy
International Inc., to the school.
Photo courtesy of HOLLAND ELEMENTARY
In March, ``Trucker Buddy Joe,'' who had just visited Idaho, brought
potatoes for all of Sally Reed's students. After the students
presented him with a care package, he let them walk around the back
of his rig and allowed each child to sit behind the wheel.
by CNB