During the 1950s, fifth and sixth graders received My Weekly Reader at school, which was a fun weekly educational classroom magazine. It began in 1928 as My Weekly Reader. Editions covered curriculum themes in the younger grade levels and news-based, current events and curriculum themed-issues in older grade levels.
You could send in jokes, which I did from time to time and some were published.
You could also sign up to become a penpal. I wrote letters to half a dozen girls, two of them overseas. My little 1957 diary reminds me of their names: Sharon from Morenci, Arizona; Nada Jean from Virginia, Idaho; Mary Louise from Hooper, Nebraska; Dixie from Downey, Idaho; Carol Jean from Hawkeye, Iowa; Anne from Douglas, Massachusetts; Joelle Muzy from Bourg en Bresse, Ain, France; and Erlinda Yapp from Cavite City, Philippines.
Can you imagine what fascinating letters an 11-year-old farm girl from Iowa wrote in the 1950s? I remember keeping a chart of activities to make sure I told each one of them all my fascinating happenings, so I wouldn’t repeat the same thing in my next letter.
Visits to cousins or grandparents, going to church, piano lessons?
The two girls from Idaho must have enjoyed getting my letters. At least they stuck around the longest.
How delightful as a child to our rural mailbox and find a letter addressed just to me, with an interesting stamp (which had been licked to affix it), and an exotic postmark.
I was just reminded that these days I’ve got electronic penpals from all over. How I appreciate them!