- How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?
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I was looking for pen pals for my students (ages 4 and 5) and not having any luck. While searching the web, I happened upon Postcrossing. I really liked the idea and thought if I could get a few postcards I could share them with my students. Even though it wasn’t a pen pal, I thought it would be a great way to introduce my students to the world they live in. I loved learning about other countries but soon realised it wasn’t the countries that I loved learning about as much as making the amazing connection. It didn’t take long before I was hooked.
I ventured out and started investigating some of the forums and made many more friends. After that, I decided to try setting up a forum post of my own asking postcrossers if they would enjoy writing to one of my students. The response was absolutely incredible! I have students from 3 years ago that are still writing to a person they met from our postcard project. People all over the world are so lovely and my students experiencing that, was a lesson I had not planned.
- Do you have any other interesting hobbies?
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My hobbies are few, I love Postcrossing and hanging out with my family. I live in a lovely area filled with bike and walking trails so I am able to walk and enjoy the outside all the time.
- Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!
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My favorite place to mail my postcards and my students postcards is the Wayne Post Office. This is a quaint little post office with great postal workers.
- Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.
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In my profile, I had mentioned that my class is trying to collect all the alphabet flower fairy postcards. We have almost all of them now either through Postcrossing people sending them to me, or through Random Acts of Smileness.
I will also have to say a very good Postcrossing friend introduced me to the Mainzer Cats and I do love them.
- What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?
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I love all of Postcrossing, but I think when I see the word Hurray in my email and I know a my postcard has made it thousands of miles or hundreds of mile, to me that is thrilling.
- Have you met any other members in real life?
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Once I was lucky enough to attend a very small Postcrossing Meetup in Wisconsin at the Jelly Belly Factory. It was very nice sharing our passion for Postcrossing!
- Is there anything that you are passionate about?
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I am passionate about many things, but I would suppose right now I am most passionate about my job. I love being a preschool teacher and knowing I have the chance to touch lives. I am passionate about helping children learn that there is so much good in people, even though we constantly hear the bad.
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Blog > Postcrossing Spotlight: clouisesz from the USA!
posted by meiadeleite
Connie (aka clouisesz), from Illinois USA is a teacher who shares her passion for postcards with her young students, and has once been to a Postcrossing meetup in a very saccharine location… read on to find out more!
45 comments so far
Wonderful spotlight interview.
I can totally relate to the statement "People all over the world are so lovely and my students experiencing that, was a lesson I had not planned."
I - and am sure many other postcrossers - am experiencing the same every day.
Love the quaint little post office by the way. Adorable.
Wish your students much joy with the best site in the internet....
And we need more teachers like yourself :-)
What a great way to open students eyes about the WHOLE world around them! Thanks for your story.
Great story, thanks for sharing! :)
How wonderful to see you here again, Connie. Thanks for the nice interview.
This is so awesome! Your kiddos are lucky to have you as their
teacher. :D Thanks for sharing your story!
I was happy to read your story and I am happy I could participate with my little bit in your great project.
Three mounths ago I came up with a similar idea! It's amazing! I love the idea of a huge poster on the wall with the most interesting cards and other stuff received from all over the world. Now I can see how it works in another part of the world! Thank you!!!
I enjoyed reading about your postcrossing adventures and seeing the pictures. Sharing with your students will give them a headstart on understanding and appreciating all the peoples of the world. Thank you.
Oh my goodness, that post office is so darling!
A lovely spotlight on Connie!
Hi, what letter missing from Fairies?
really enjoyed this story very much !!!!!!!
What a lovely story.Postcrossing is such a fun thing. I’m so glad I found it!
I live less than an hour away! I love these spotlights.
I love that little post office. I have participated with Connie and her class in sending postcards to them, and I have to say, I get a little buzz when I get a card from one of her students. Even my daughter has sent cards to Connie's students, and she's not an official member of Postcrossing.
Congratulations, Connie! Great fun to see pics of your post office and of the postcards in your classroom. What a nice Postcrossing Spotlight.
Great to read about you and your students here, Connie, and thanks for opening their hearts and minds to the wonders of the world!
I'm among those that also enjoy "meeting" other Postcrossers through the Postcrossing Spotlight. Enjoyed the mention of the Mainzer Cats cards -- brought back fond memories of my grandmother with her small collection of these that she kept in a card-size photo album. Each card was secured to its own page with those little black photo "corners". (Remember those)
Continued Joy for you and your students, Connie.
I am so happy that a few of my students have been sending your kids cards! I love the connection! You are doing amazing things in your classroom, Connie! Let's connect over the summer and do something bigger next year! :)
Wow! I wish my teacher did that! I live in Los Angeles so we do not have many quaint little post offices. Lot of hiking trails though. Thanks for sharing your story, I found it so interesting!
A nice read. Wonder if any of those students will sign on to Postcrossing too.
Connie, it has been such a pleasure to get to know you via Postcrossing. You are doing such important work! Thank you!
This is what makes Postcrossing so special--connecting with other people an learning a bit about their lives. Your students are blessed. May you continue to use post cards to touch lives.
really nice
I know Connie! I've been writing postcards to her students for a few years now. It's so cute getting their notes in the mail, I love it.
I wish there would be more teachers like you, Connie, the world would be a much better place. Thanks for sharing this great story & photographs! Keep up your excellent work with the kids!
Hi Connie you are doing a great job - I hope your students will become Postcrosssers in time !
Wonderful story. I agree with Miss-Cynical - more such teachers in the world!
I am a retired primary teacher and I love hearing about teachers getting their students involved in this wonderful project! Good work, Connie!
Connie -
Thanks for your efforts to introduce your students to more of the world!
If you'd like them to have a couple of postcards from Baltimore, I'd be happy to put a Fort McHenry and USS Constellation card in the post to you. Plenty of opportunity for a history lesson there...
As I can see on the photo, grass in bad condition. I can not understand, why people mow grass so much? It is global problem, not only in the USA... Even in Russia... I love dandelions and fully fresh grass, it need for my good mood, but, unfortunately... Why so many bald spots on the soil?
Well done on bringing the world to children. What a wonderful idea.
This is fabulous -- thank you Connie for teaching, and nurturing, our children. I have a book of fairy postcards, some of which are from the alphabet series. Unfortunately, you can't see the letter on any of them.
Such an inspiration to your students I am sure!! Really enjoyed seeing the walls and learning more about your program, Connie! Way to go!!
Connie, you sound like an AWESOME teacher! Waaay back when, I had a pen pal, but sadly we didn’t keep up. I wonder where that pal is and what they’re doing now... anyway, keep up the good work with the kiddos. And a big Thank You POSTCROSSING peeps, for a great Spotlight story.
I loved reading this! I think this is an excellent idea for students to learn about the world :-)
I drive through Wayne Township often! Gorgeous area - and horses everywhere! Glad to hear that there's another of us in the DuPage/Kane county area! Cheers to you and your class.
The story makes me want to become a kindergarten teacher someday! Nice story, greetings to your students:)
I love what you are doing through postcrossing :) The thoughts have been swirling in my head to use it somehow for the elderly. Your story has given it more direction :) Thank you!!!
Unity in diversity inculcated in minds from a young age...wow! I hope that the new generation will make the world one big happy family with this mentality...awesome work!
Hi Connie, so nice to read more about you. Of ourse i knew the cards for your students (in the beginning i had a hard time to grab they were only 4-5 years old ) :) . I think it is a wonderful idea and was happy to be able to to my little part in it.
Can I just say, that is the cutest post office I've ever seen! :)
what a wonderful way to relate children to the people in the world around them and show them landscapes or the alfebet, I love it!
What a great idea! I work at a preschool we celebrate a Children of the World fair each year. Too late for this year as it is next week, but I might put the word out for the one in 2019.
Connie, great interview! I am happy to be part of the project, the kids and their cards and messages are so sweet! Wonderful project indeed! :)
Connie, wonderful interview! And what an adorable post office! Best wishes to you and to all those who you love.
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