Letters that Empower Progress
Letters that Empower Progress: Description
In addition to conversational strategies for empowering progress during interviews with students
and caregivers as described in Chapter 11 of the book, short letters can be used to compliment
students and others, and to encourage them to reflect on and sustain desired changes at school.
Most young people do not receive a lot of letters in the first place, much less “positive” letters
about something they have done well. This is especially true for students who have had
significant problems in school. But it is not just students that may benefit from letters aimed at
empowering progress and success—teachers and parents also appreciate the acknowledgement of
their efforts to help students. Here are few examples of letters that I have sent to students,
parents, and teachers following improvements in students’ school performance and behavior.
The same type of letters could be used by teachers and parents to acknowledge the efforts and
successes of their students and children.
Copyright © 2013, John J. Murphy. From Conducting Student-Driven Interviews: Practical Strategies for Increasing
Student Involvement and Addressing Behavior Problems, by John J. Murphy (2013). New York: Routledge.
Letters to Students
Letter to Erika (age 8) after noticeable improvements in classroom behavior
Dear Erika,
I noticed how kind you were to others this week in class. How did you do that? What
made you decide to do that? Maybe you can teach me more about the “new you” so that I can
help other students who need help behaving well in class. I’ll check with you tomorrow to see if
you can help me with that.
Letter to Michael (age 11) after a few days of better classroom behavior
Dear Michael,
You really showed Mr. Talky who was boss this week. I’ll bet Mr. Talky was mad that
he wasn’t able to push you into talking a lot in class. I wonder what else you’ll think of to
remind him that you’re the boss now, not him. Please keep track of how you do that and we’ll
talk about it next time we meet.
Letter to Chelsea (age 14) following a slight reduction in aggressive behavior at alternative
school
Dear Chelsea,
I know you value your freedom and want to preserve it. This will take some hard work,
because other people may say and do things that tempt you to act in ways that steal your
freedom. I am curious how you will figure out ways to preserve your freedom and stay out of
trouble at school. It is impressive that you were able to hold your freedom and resist the urge to
go off on Tonya when she gave you some trouble in class yesterday. Maybe you could keep
track of some other victories that help you stay free and move closer to the life you want for
yourself.
Copyright © 2013, John J. Murphy. From Conducting Student-Driven Interviews: Practical Strategies for Increasing
Student Involvement and Addressing Behavior Problems, by John J. Murphy (2013). New York: Routledge.
Letters to Parents
Letter to parents of Will (age 9), who improved his classroom behavior during the second
semester of a very difficult year in school
Dear Mr. and Ms. Howard,
It was a privilege to meet and work with both of you regarding Will’s behavior this year.
I know it hasn’t been an easy time for either of you. Your dedication and persistence has been
inspiring. Some parents would have placed the blame on the teachers and refused to work with
them. Instead, you have done just the opposite by working with (versus against) the school in a
mutual effort to improve Will’s school success. This teamwork will continue to benefit Will in
the future.
Based on Will’s progress this year, it appears that your combined efforts and belief in the
possibilities for improvement are working. Although behavior doesn’t always change as quickly
as we would like, we are certainly moving in the right direction. I am confident that with
continued collaboration between you and the school, and a willingness to try “something
different” when needed, Will’s school behavior will continue to improve. As we discussed last
week, bumps and slips along the road of improvement are normal and it is good to be prepared
for these slips when they occur. I will discuss this further with Will and his teachers.
It has been a pleasure working with you and your son, and I invite you to contact me at
any time in the future.
Letter to parents of Derek (age 15) after he went an entire week with no discipline referrals
Dear Ms. Smith,
I wanted you to know that Derek did much better at school this week. Thank you for
hanging in there and continuing to work with us to help him behave more successfully. Derek is
lucky to have you in his corner, and so are we.
Congratulations to you and Derek on starting to turn things around. I wonder how next
week will go.
Copyright © 2013, John J. Murphy. From Conducting Student-Driven Interviews: Practical Strategies for Increasing
Student Involvement and Addressing Behavior Problems, by John J. Murphy (2013). New York: Routledge.
Letter to Teachers
Letter to teachers of Will (age 9), who improved his classroom behavior at the end of a very
difficult year in school
Dear Ms. Rowell and Mr. Craig:
I am writing to thank you for your compassion and dedication on Will’s behalf. I
appreciate your ongoing belief in the possibilities for Will to improve his school behavior.
Based on his progress in recent weeks, it appears that your efforts are making a difference.
I know it has been a challenging year to say the least—a year in which you could have
given up on him long ago. Instead, you have done just the opposite by consistently going out of
your way to work with Will and to try different approaches. Your collaborative efforts with
school administrators, staff, and parents demonstrate your dedication to the teaching and success
of all students, not just those that easily fit in. It is encouraging to witness and be a part of the
persistence and dedication of effective teachers such as yourselves.
Many of the students I work with require significant teacher effort and compassion to be
successful in school, and it takes a caring and effective person to make such efforts day in and
day out throughout a school year. You have done this for Will. In fact, I want to ask you how
you manage to do this so that I might share your ideas with other teachers. For now, I want to
thank you for providing high quality behavioral support for a young man who shows great
potential.
Copyright © 2013, John J. Murphy. From Conducting Student-Driven Interviews: Practical Strategies for Increasing
Student Involvement and Addressing Behavior Problems, by John J. Murphy (2013). New York: Routledge.