We will be updating this space as often as possible with selections of the best student writing produced during recent workshops, field trips, and drop-in tutoring sessions in 826 chapters across the country. We are also always accepting submissions to be featured by any students ages 6-18. All writing can be emailed to submissions [at] 826national.com for consideration.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Written in the days following the election of President Barack Obama, students from 826 chapters across the country shared some often practical, sometimes hilarious, and always sincere advice for their new president. The result was batches of letters, such as the following, highlighting exactly what was on their young minds.
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826 BOSTON
Mr. President,
Obama, change the world. Change the world by making new laws, like no throwing trash on the streets and no guns around—that way people won’t die. You should put the bad people in jail, and change the teachers from screaming at the students to working hard.
Change the universities to make them better so that students can all learn math problems. And change the street rules, like make sure people do not drive so fast when there’s a red light.
You should split up the FBI and make more police. Also, don’t make any wars because the innocent people are going to die that way.
Angel Edwards, age 8
Boston
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Dear Barack Obama,
I have a great idea for you: you should set up a special phone, a special place just for kids to call the president if they find things that are dangerous and can affect people, like someone smoking. This would be a special place for kids to talk to Barack Obama and let him know what’s going on.
Another important thing that I want to talk to you about is cars and buses. There is a bus called the Galactic Wizard which runs on biofuel or vegetable oil. I think instead of polluting the environment, scientists should work on those buses. You should make it so that everyone turns off any light whenever they are not in the room—that way we can save the environment and also pay less on our electricity. We can’t just use up the environment until we have nothing, or we will starve to death. Nobody wants that, do they? I want to tell you, Barack Obama, if one day I could travel around the world and help people, I would definitely do it.
Dhamaril Nunez, age 9
Boston
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826CHI
Dear President Obama,
The first thing you need to do is put your stuff in the White House. Be careful, Abraham Lincoln haunts one of the bedrooms. Look around the White House. Meet with your helpers. Get a puppy. Talk to America. Make a speech. My name is Matthew Wong. I am eight years old and go to Skinner School in Chicago, IL. I like my school because it is big, but I have problems with my homework. I was watching TV when you were elected. My family was happy.
Can you stop pollution? It kills people, plants, and animals.
Sincerely,
Matthew Wong, age 8
Chicago
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Dear President Obama,
I hope you enjoy reading my letter. I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Chandler Browne, I’m twelve years old and attend Pritzker School in Chicago. In my letter, I’m going to give you some advice. I think I would like to give you advice about the war in Iraq. People there are dying (but I’m positive you already know that). You should get the troops out (but I’m sure you already know that too). Also, settle the war.
Now some advice for your family, and specifically, how you can find a dog: I understand that Sasha is allergic to animals with fur. Well, my dad is allergic too, and I have some suggestions on what breed to get. Here are some dogs you can get: Cockapoo, Labradoodle, and Goldendoodle. I hope you take my suggestions into consideration.
Here is a list of the first ten things you should do as president:
- Fly to the White House in a helicopter.
- Walk in.
- Wipe feet.
- Walk to the Oval Office.
- Sit down in a chair.
- Put hand sanitizer on hands.
- Enjoy moment.
- Get up.
- Get in car.
- Go to the dog pound.
Finally, I would like to tell you where I was when you were elected: I was about 250 yards away from the stage you spoke from on election night. I was so excited when I found out that you were going to be president. Please enjoy your experience as president.
Sincerely,
Chandler Browne, age 12
Chicago
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826LA
Dear President Obama,
I know you want to save the earth, but people don’t want to clean. My life is to clean up all the world and help you to clean. I always dream of cleaning the world with you. I’ll do anything for you because you are the president in this world.
Stephanie Gonzalez, age 7
Los Angeles
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Dear President Obama,
Could you help my family to get housecleaning jobs? I hope you will be a great president. If I were president, I would help all nations, even Hawaii.
President Obama, I think you could help the world.
Chad Timsing, age 9
Los Angeles
* * *
826michigan
Dear Obama,
I hope this letter reaches you in the best of health and condition, following your victory in the presidential race. I figured I’d share my opinions on the White House. Most of all, the White House is a very historical and honored place. Living in such an environment must feel a little different and weird. I guess the best thing about the White House is the experience of being there for a term or two terms and really sucking everything up, be it good or bad.
Sincerely,
Mohammad Jama, age 14
Ann Arbor
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Dear President Obama,
Whatever happened to McCain? If I made up a rule, it would be to have snow cones every week. You should give the whole United States of America snow cones. No, your servants should do it. It’s easier. I wish I could get an autographed picture of you.
Sincerely,
Hamza Saalim, age 8
Ann Arbor
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826NYC
Dear Barack Obama,
I voted for you! I think you really will make a difference to the United States! My name is Alexis Feliciano, I am nine years old. I go to school at P.S. 321 William Penn School.
One thing you could fix is the economy. Something happened to me: I went out to lunch at Starbucks and I wanted to buy a cup of whipped cream and normally it’s forty-three cents, but now it’s seventy-four cents! The price raised thirty-one cents for no reason. So you should probably try to change things like that from happening. You should keep an eye out for things like that.
I wish you good luck! I trust you! And also, I believe you could
change the United States!
P.S. I love whipped cream!
P.P.S. Write back!
Love,
Alexis Feliciano, age 9
Brooklyn
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Dear Barack Obama,
Congrats on becoming the President of the United States and slaughtering John McCain. I think that, unlike W., you should dodge other countries and not shoes. You should not be so quick to go to war and negotiate with terrorists.
I like what you said about bringing the troops home from
Iraq. If you like my letter, know that it’s from:
D’andre “The King” Legrand, age 12
Brooklyn
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826 SEATTLE
Dear President Obama,
My name is Gabe Honeycutt and I live in Seattle, Washington. It’s a nice city, but it rains a lot. I like Spider-Man comics, too, and my favorite music is jazz. I’ve been to Hawaii and it was very hot there. Do you miss living there?
I think it is great to have a black man as president. I think you could have won even without Mr. McCain’s help. You sound like an interesting man. You stepped up and helped people. I wish you could help the homeless people here in Seattle by making the non-used hotels into shelters.
I’d like to see more parks in our cities and fewer apartment buildings going up everywhere. Maybe you could lower the prices for health care, especially for people who can’t afford medicine and are dying because they don’t have it.
Hope you and your family like it in the White House.
P.S. Don’t get a rat dog. I think a mutt would be great.
Thanks for listening,
Gabe Honeycutt, age 9
Seattle
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Dear Mr. Obama,
Hello! My name is Justine Cameron. I live in Seattle, Washington, and I go to Washington Middle School. I am eleven years old. I think that I am very different from all the other people that you have ever met (and I am guessing that is a lot of people). I love singing, dancing, and acting. I am in a play called Oliver Twist at Broadway Bound (that is a kids’ acting company) and when I grow up I am going to be a musical actor.
I know that you have a lot of work to do with the United States and I think that you could use some help. That is why I am writing this letter.
The United States of America is a very interesting place. There are millions of people doing tons of stuff all of the time. There are so many people that sometimes there are problems. Schools have problems. And I am particularly interested in education.
My school is a very good school. We have a good curriculum, a very good music program, and wonderful sports. But the neighborhood has a lot of crime. Almost every week, we have a lockdown. (A lockdown is when there is a crime happening around the school and we have to lock our windows, close the shades, and lock our doors just to be safe.) It is really scary and everyone gets really freaked out.
I hope that you can help us make our neighborhood, and all neighborhoods, safe. Maybe you can make sure that everyone has enough to eat, wear, and a place to live. Maybe you can reward people for good behavior? I am not sure what to recommend, but I think that everyone should be able to be safe when they go to school and all schools should be good schools.
Well, good luck finding a dog, too. (I love dogs.)
Sincerely,
Justine Cameron, age 11
Seattle
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826 VALENCIA
Dear Mr. Obama,
Hi, my name is Marco, and I live in San Francisco. I am ten years old. I am writing this letter because I want to stop the war in Iraq and make the economy better. This is important because a lot of people are getting killed shooting at each other. Families are sad and worried about losing their loved ones. Also, the war is very expensive.
Mr. Obama, you should send the troops back to America. We can use the money saved to heal soldiers, and build schools for kids with low incomes, and help families with their needs. Thanks, Mr. Obama, for reading my letter about my problem. I like you being my president. I wish you good luck and to be elected again.
Sincerely,
Marco Ponce, age 10
San Francisco
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Dear President Barack Obama,
First of all, I am very happy you were elected president. When I was watching television on November 4, I started crying because I was so happy. Everyone in my neighborhood kept honking their cars, yelling, and texting their friends about how you had been elected the forty-fourth president. My friend’s dad is going to open a new ice-cream store right in front of my house and they are going to try to open it on January 20 in honor of you. :) My family and I have been talking about when you become president it is going to be very hard for you because of the economy. Don’t worry, you have me, my family, my friends, and St. James School to support you.
I have some questions, and I really would love for you to answer them back. OK, here they go. How will you help all the US immigrants? How will you help us students in our education? Will you try to make the U.S. a more environmental place? Well, those are my main questions.
I just want to say that you are going to be a great president and don’t worry about anything, just remember that you have two wonderful daughters that love you and a wife that loves you too and remember that she is as beautiful as a rose.
I hope, Mr. President, that you don’t do the same mistake as Mr. Bush about the war. If we want peace in our world, we must at least start somehow. We end up getting so mad about how we want peace in the world when we end up making hate.
My dream is to become a veterinarian or a zoologist because I love animals and I think I will get more connected to our planet. I have dreams that I want to achieve that are why my parents, my brother, and I immigrated to the United States with our American Dream. My neighbors think that I am just another Latino that is going to ruin her life. But they are so wrong. I want to go to great high schools. I want to graduate from college and show my mom that I worked my butt off.
Well, thanks, and I hope you have a great time running the country. :)
Sincerely,
Yoselin Teresa Martinez Xonthe, age 13
San Francisco
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