My 1st & 2nd grade class at Zuni Christian Mission School did a Social Studies unit on the U.S. postal service. We learned the importance of the postal workers and what their job responsibilities are. Because we had pen pals in Hawaii last year, my students began to realize that they would not have pen pals if it weren't for the USPS. We decided to encourage the postal workers in our community by writing and delivering letters of appreciation when we went there for our field trip. The following week, our letters were hanging up in the Zuni Post Office for all visitors to see. A few months later, the postmaster told me that this story had been published for the entire U.S. Postal System to read throughout the nation. What a blessing to know our words of appreciation went beyond our little community!

Student Reflections

"I was just so happy when I made someone's day. It was so fun to see how the post office works. I want to tell my mom what I learned."

"I wanted to be a community builder so I could be nice and show love to the people because I love God."

"When I handed my letter to them, they felt joyful and cared for and loved. It felt to me like I was the kindest person."

"When I gave them my card, it felt like I built them up, and they will build other people up, and I will be a community builder."

"I starred in God's story by giving the post office letters and thanking them for giving us our pen pal letters. If they weren't here, then we wouldn't get them." (Starring in God's Story was our Storyline.)

Teacher Reflection

I am thankful for the TfT tuning protocol that I was a part of last January. It was through my small group's feedback that I realized I could turn a unit that I normally do into a FLEx. Not only did my students learn about the post office, dress up like postal workers, learn to work the classroom post office, and mail a postcard to their families, but they also made an impact on the postal workers here in Zuni as well as around our nation.