A Letter to Future Me - Storytelling at St Richard's Primary School

Over the last couple of weeks I've visited St Richard's Catholic Primary School to lead creative writing workshops with children from Year 4 and 5.

The children at St Richard's are brilliant storytellers. They have wonderful imaginations and fantastic ideas.

In one workshop, we were thinking about the future of Sandy Lane. We asked questions:

• What will the future look like? What sports will we play? what food will we eat?
• What will Sandy Lane look like in the future? What will be the same, what might be different?
• What about St Richard's school?
• What will we be doing 10 years in the future? 

The children wrote letters to 'Future Me' - themselves ten years into the future. In their letters they told their future selves about how things are now, what is important to them at the moment and what they enjoy currently. They wrote about how they imagine Sandy Lane might look in the future and their hopes and aspirations for where they might be in ten years time. They offered themselves words of affirmation and advice. The letters are sparky, thought provoking, often funny and moving.

Here are a few examples:

Dear Future Me,

First of all, how are we? What’s going on in life – how is my family? Do I have a decent job?

Right now, I live in Sandy Lane, I go to St Richard’s School, I am 9 years old.

I love doing dance - I would love to be a dance teacher.

What does Sandy Lane look like in the future? Has it got a hoverboard park, or a chocolate factory or floating cars and messaging chips in everyone’s heads? Alright, I’m going crazy now!

Just remember, always stay true to yourself,

Yours Sincerely,

You (Isabella)

Dear Future Me,

My family and friends help me in every day life, I don’t know what I would do without them. At the moment I have a special teddy called Buster. Do I still have Buster and is he still so, so, so special?

I live in a house and love living there because it feels good that it’s my home. I go to a school called St Richard’s – it’s great because every day I come home and I tell Mum tons of things I have learnt.

In the future I’m going to be a scientist so I can make Sandy Lane the best place ever and when people come they will feel as if they have just been to Disney World, Florida! On Sandy Lane I will create a chocolate factory with a cinema next door. Loads of kids will save their pocket money so they can go!

My school will still be here but there will be a hoverboard park where everyone will play after school!

Yours Sincerely,

Ella.

Dear Future Self,

Thomas – I hope you’re having a good time with your jet pack and your low gravity shoes... but I wanted to talk to you about the future. Is it good there? Do you have a good job?

I go to St Richard’s and my favourite food is fish but I hate cheese. In the future, I bet there will be some sort of Xbox 16 but I like Xbox 1.

I hope you like it there, in the future, and remember do my life good – skydive from over the clouds!

It’s time to go,

Yours Sincerely,

Thomas (2016)

Dear Myself,

How is your life? How is your family? What’s in the future? In your days what’s your home like? Which college do you go to?

What about Sandy Lane - what is it like? Is it the same? What is it like being 20 years old? Is Sandy Lane still a friendly place? Are there mutant dinosaurs?

From Dylan

PS – Are you famous? Are you a football player?

It was brilliant working with such a creative group of young writers.