FRUIT COVE, Fla. — School has been in session for a little more than a month, as hundreds of thousands of students on the First Coast are learning valuable information that they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives.
In this week's Stories of Service, First Coast News meets a 4th grade teacher who's teaching her class multiple lessons at the same time.
Every year, Jennifer Pudner's 4th grade class at San Juan del Rio Catholic School in Fruit Cove learns to write letters by actually writing them to veterans.
"I usually spend a lesson or two talking about who a veteran is and what they sacrificed," said Pudner, who has included this in her lesson plan for now a fourth year. "So, they really understand what it means when we reach out and what we're thanking them for. The kids who are writing to family members really connect and you can see them put their best foot forward."
Faith Ward was in Pudner's 4th grade class three years ago and wrote to her grandpa who served in the Marines during the Vietnam War.
"I think it was really important and now I can write letters to my whole family," said Ward, who is now in 7th grade. "Writing to veterans is a big impact on their lives because sometimes they don't get a thank you or they're not recognized for who they are."
Ward and her grandpa exchange letters regularly nowadays. Students who don't have family members as veterans write letters to veterans through Operation Gratitude.
"When a student who's nine or 10 years old recognizes what these people give up in their family lives and personal lives, I think it gives them a deeper appreciation for it," said Pudner. "But also shows what they can do as a person, even if they don't serve in the military, what sacrifices they can make that make a difference."
Pudner's father served in the Navy for 15 years and in November, she'll teach this year's 4th grade class a lesson about more than just writing letters.
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