Instead of logging onto Facebook or refreshing the latest Twitter feed, Nancy Miller patiently waits for more exciting news at her senior living community: A hand-written letter from her younger pen pal.

The two have never met, and neither has any idea what their writing pal looks like.

But Miller does have a connection to 9-year-old Ahan Jain: the Dallas Cowboys.

"Which is a wonderful connection," said Miller. "I've been a Dallas Cowboys fan since the 1960s when Roger Staubach was the quarterback. So we talk a lot about the Cowboys."

"We both talk about who they're going to cut and who they're going to trade," said Ahan.

Good Shepherd Episcopal School third-grader Ahan Jain writes to his pen pal Nancy Miller, a resident at Presbyterian Village North in Dallas. (Tommy Noel/Staff photographer)

Cursive struggles

When third grade teacher Karen Gunter displayed the Declaration of Independence in her classroom at Good Shepherd Episcopal School, her students were struggling. They couldn't read it. Cursive writing is taught at Good Shepherd, but reading it is a whole different story.

That gave her the idea to partner with Presbyterian Village North, a senior living community in Dallas. The third graders would write the seniors in cursive, and the seniors would respond, also in cursive.

When the letters from the senior center arrive, they are scanned and displayed on the projector. The recipient then reads their letter to the entire class. The third graders take a few extra seconds as they decipher the odd looking tails and curly q's. With 20 letters from 20 seniors, the variance in cursive writing differs greatly.

"Some of it is slanted one way, some the other, and we talk about what makes it easier or harder to read," said Gunter.

A new bond

The idea is to help the younger crowd get used to cursive — both reading and writing. But the assignment has turned into much more. There are now 20 new friendships formed. The students have also learned how to write 'thank you' letters and show their emotions through penmanship.

"The kids cannot wait to get letters," said Gunter. "They ask me most days, 'Check the mail! Check the mail! Check the mail!'"

Back at the senior center, Miller also gets excited for letters addressed to her from 9-year-old Ahan. "I can tell he's very bright," Miller explained. "He's articulate, he's interested in many different things, and we have a few connections."

Ahan says basically the same thing about Miller, in third grade language of course, "She's really nice to me. She's smart and active."

The curiosities on what their pen pals look like will be solved next month. (Ahan thinks Miller has black hair; really it's more on the gray side.) A pizza party is scheduled for the seniors to meet their pen pals.

When the school year is over, the students may continue to write their pen pals, even though it's not required. And the letters will be in cursive.