A Texas middle school teacher tried an experiment that paid off handsomely this spring. He wrote personal letters to 40 of his seventh-grade students in Fort Worth praising them for the progress that they were making in his class.

The students were astounded and touched, after comparing letters, to recognize that each letter was written personally to them, rather than an exact copy.

The first-year teacher intended to inspire his students by showing them that an unrelated adult could truly care about them as human beings.

"I wanted them to feel good about themselves as they took their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests, so I took this unusual approach.  It seemed to me that positive self-image could drive home more results than any form of last-minute coaching about reading and writing.

The results are in and virtually every student scored higher than his/her previous test scores would have predicted.

Congratulations goes to teacher, Drew Fletcher.

(The original story appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press)

File photo courtesy of Sun Star