Trucker Buddy

Correspondence boosts students’ writing skills

Teaching students to write letters competently is a requirement of most state education departments. In Tennessee, one class is learning this skill while they are corresponding with their Trucker Buddy driver, Michael Wiest. “In Mr. Wiest’s correspondence with our class, he asks questions that students look forward to answering,” says fifth-grade teacher Michele Emrick.

One student, Ross, enjoys the interaction with his Trucker Bud-dy. He says that Mr. Wiest, “uses descriptive language in his letters, which encourages us to do the same.” Ross also says that the students learn geography when they are asked to use clues to lo-cate places on a map.

The students appreciate their driver’s dedication to their learning program, but they are also impressed with his kindness. “He is nice,” says Zac, “and he thinks we’re special.”

Michael Wiest is an owner-operator leased to FedEx Ground and lives in Fredericksburg, PA. He has been a Trucker Buddy since October 2000 and adopted the Clarksville, TN class at Burt Elementary School this past year.

Michael is one of nearly 4,000 professional drivers who share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a truck driver who is willing to send a postcard each week to a class in grades two through eight. Dri-vers and teachers can find out more about the Trucker Buddy program by visiting www.truckerbuddy.org or calling 1-800-MY BUDDY.

Wiest will receive a personalized jack-et, along with a check for $300 to spend on his class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of Multi-Media Advertising. Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines are proud sponsors of the Trucker Buddy program.