This WCC blog is a place to express the joys and challenges of working with young writers. It's for everyone associated with our mission of collaborating with teachers and working one-on-one with students in class to help develop the students' writing and critical thinking skills.
One of the most welcome additions to WCC in the last few years has been the formation of an official UC Berkeley student organization to recruit Cal students as writer coaches for WCC. At its December 3 meeting, WriterCoach Connection at Berkeley expressed appreciation for the dedicated service to our middle and high school students and their teachers. And everyone at Community Alliance for Learning joins in that expression of gratitude! Our public-school kids LOVE their Cal coaches, who have energized our entire program with their skill, energy, and enthusiasm.
Photo by Lynn Mueller
At the WCCB meeting on Dec. 3 were (top, left to
right): Claire Hwang, Rachel Morgan, Leah Moskovic, Karlie Drutz,
Jennifer Carr, Joanna Salem, and WCCB President Wei Liu. Bottom, left
to right: Debbie Lieu, Jane Chong, Cal Volunteer Manager Briana
Jauregui, WCCB Secretary Kelli-Jean Chun, and WCCB Treasurer Melissa
Solano.
These Cal students have really transformed the ranks of our WCC coaches. Go Bears!
Annie Johnston, co-director of Community Partnerships Academy at Berkeley High, had this to say after reviewing several measures of her students' academic achievement this year:
"After two years of WCC support, CP Academy sophomores outperformed BHS students overall and in every ethnic category in passing the CHSEE. WCC contributed tremendously to both competence and confidence for these students. Sixty-five percent of those sophomores signed up for our AP augmentation section. That is a significant increase over past classes--double the percentage that signed up last year!"
Annie's gracious comments speak to both the effectiveness of writer coaching in general and to the longitudinal impact of this support on students who have had two straight years of writer coaching. The results Annie cites echo what BUSD research data indicates about increased writing achievement among district eighth graders who have had two consecutive years of writing support from WCC.
Berkeley High teacher Susannah Bell, whose CP Academy students are served by WriterCoach Connection, was recently honored for teaching excellence by the Berkeley Public Education Foundation. In a subsequent Berkeley school board appearance, at which she was recognized for her teaching achievements, Susannah said:
"WCC has been a key partner in our Writing for College Program. Because of the WCC, our students have more confidence in their writing. As a result, in the CPA class of 2011:
Two of our students joined the BHS Jacket staff
85% passed the ELA section of the CAHSEE on the first attempt (higher passage rate than BHS overall and significantly higher within subgroups)
65% have enrolled in the AP English Augmentation class for next year
One of our students is looking forward to getting his writing published with the help of a writing coach (who has published a critically acclaimed memoir)"
We deeply appreciate Susannah's comments and the vital role she, fellow CP Academy teacher Ariel Morris, and CPA co-director Annie Johnston have played in making WCC such a success at Berkeley High.
When WriterCoach Connection was the focus of Kitty Kelly Epstein's Education Today program on KPFA (94.1 FM) on March 13, students from Berkeley High's Community Partnerships Academy were lined up on their phones, waiting to offer their comments on the air. Unfortunately, time permitted comments only from CP Academy teachers Susannah Bell and Ariel Morris, but here are some of the comments about their writer coaches that the CP Academy students had prepared for the airwaves:
"It makes me feel tood to have her attention because she is a great writer herself. Because I've been able to work one-on-one with her, I felt confident about sharing my writing with a larger audience. Now I write for my school newspaper, the Berkeley High Jacket."
"He helps me strengthen the analysis of the quotes I find and better my ability to transform my thoughts into a piece of writing."
"Earlier this morning my writer coach helped me develop an essay comparing the events and secret messages in Lord of the Flies by Golding, and the Bible. It seemed to be hard to analyze and state my views of the two but after taking in advice from my coach about the importance of finding common analogies, I was able to construct an essay that when I re-read with the corrections, it made me feel more confident."
"She makes the hardest things sound so simple and easy. She also breaks down things to that I can understand it better. She gives me ideas to use in my essay but doesn't try to change my essay. She listens to what I have to say. And she's cool."
"Today my writer coach Elliot helped me write a conclusion. These coaches help me with my grammar, flow, and developing my personal style. This is good because it can be instrumental in a career in sports writing."
"My writing coach has helped me a lot. He tells me that the way I write is different from any paper he has ever read. This makes me feel good about my writing and makes me want to write more, and he helps me by showing me how to change my essay to make it better."
Catch the KPFA show about WriterCoach Connection here.
These students are expressing thanks to our coaches, but I feel we're the ones who should be thanking them, for the privilege of working with them!
When it comes to conveying the value of WriterCoach Connection, no one says it better than a teacher. Here's what Martha Cain, at Longfellow Middle School, has to say:
"The coaching that WCC provides to Longfellow's 7th and 8th grade students has been instrumental in making Longfellow the top scoring middle school on recent district writing assessments. The presence of the WCC coaches drives teachers to produce articulated assignments. In addition, because we know that our students will receive help from a coach, we attempt more ambitious writing assignments.
"In terms of 'differentiated instruction,' I can't think of a program that's been more successful during my 18 years at BUSD. My only regret is that students don't see coaches more often!"
Many thanks to Martha for her thoughtful and articulate description of WCC. The program is successful because of the heartfelt collaboration that our hard-working teachers offer in spite of their overwhelming curricular demands.
We're still compiling our annual assessment of the effectiveness of WriterCoach Connection, but so far this year's results, based on surveys of all program stakeholders (students, teachers, coaches) reflect those from previous years, with overwhelming support from everyone associated with the program.
At King Middle School in Berkeley, teacher Mya Thorniley says, "Coaches meet students wherever they are as writers. Coaches are very supportive and willing to start at the beginning with struggling students."
Ms. Thorniley's colleague Alma Owens agrees: "I love having the coaches. It would be very difficult to give each student such personal attention without them. The students like having them, too!"
Ms. Owens isn't kidding about the students. Here's what some of them at King are saying this year about working with their WCC coaches:
First, he gives me confidence and tells me what I'm doing great at, and then helps me where I need improvement!
I find it really helpful and it makes me get my best ideas.
My coach helps me think more about what I am writing about.
Writing coaches help me on writing my paper and finding examples about my topic.
The coach helps me think outside the box and opens my mind.
My coach helps me look at the bigger picture.
I have a very good coach who kindly suggests changes I should consider.
My coach helps me dig deep down in myself and spill my ideas onto paper.
My coach rocks!
If you're a King coach, here's the answer to the question of whether you're making a difference in the lives of your students and teachers!
The Berkeley High students sitting with and getting guidance from
their WCC coach may have no idea that she is an author in the literary
spotlight. But they'd realize who they were interacting with if they'd
look over the front page of the Books section of the Sunday, March 1 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. That's where Veronica Chater's new book generated high praise. Of Waiting for the Apocalypse: A Memoir of Faith and Family, reviewer
Don Lattin notes, "What's different about this story is the way Chater
remembers the journey and writes it all down, so masterfully, for the
rest of us." See the complete review here, and check out Veronica's website here.
Ronnie,
as she is known, began coaching at King Middle School in Berkeley
several years ago and then followed her sons to continue coaching at
Berkeley High. She's as delighted to be a writer coach as we are to
have her!
In January, WriterCoach Connection will help with
the second writing assessment for Berkeley schools for this school year. We helped score BUSD student assessment essays in the fall and we're ready to help again. Teachers and other district personnel really appreciate
our support, which we will offer for all four essay scoring sessions this school year.
We always like to represent WriterCoach Connection as a resource for schools and districts!
In all three Berkeley middle schools and at Berkeley High, coaches and students began pairing up in October for conversations about the students' writing assignments, the continuation of a writer coach program that has spread to three East Bay communities but that began in Berkeley, at BHS, in 2001.
At Willard Middle School, WriterCoach Connection coordinator Jeanine Brown reports:
"We
started the year off with a bang at Willard on October 16 and 17 with a
fabulous mix of eager seasoned and new coaches, including a super crop of Cal
students. The 8th graders
have been quite enthusiastic about coaching and many have already established
bonds with their coaches. It’s always
rewarding to look around the coaching room and see students actively engaged
with their coaches, one on one. So far
we’ve worked on Autobiographical Incidents, Persuasive Essays on Junk Food in
School, Letters to the Future President,
and Book Reviews. Teachers continue to
appreciate the increase in completed turned-in work after coaching sessions."
Veteran WCC coach trainer and site coordinator Kathleen Hallam oversees WCC at King Middle School. Here's what Kathleen says about the start of coaching there for the 2008-09 school year:
"Enthusiastic
new volunteers joined King’s many loyal veterans to make the start up of the
coaching year in mid-October a great success. Six teams of coaches met with the students of 12 English classes and
worked with them on a variety of assignments, from getting started on book
evaluations in Ms. Felarca’s classes to planning revisions on two successive
drafts of Mr. Conley’s “No More Homework” essay. Teachers told me they could tell right away
how much coaching had helped most kids move ahead with their work and meet
higher expectations of themselves as writers.
"Sometimes
I’m able to take a little break from coaching to observe and listen, and what I
see and hear is inspiring. In light-filled Room 125, every table and countertop
is taken up with adults and students sitting side by side having warm
conversations about the students’ ideas and how they are expressed. This being Berkeley, the pairs were
particularly animated when we worked on Mr. Selk’s election-issues assignment,
with both students and coaches well informed and passionate. Considering how serious we are about our
work, it’s surprising and delightful to see so much smiling going on.
"More
coaches are being trained now, and a number of other members of our very
supportive King community have said they will come on board after the
holidays. We look forward to having them
join us."
Two site coordinators run WCC at Longfellow Middle School. Here's how Annie Stine and Mark Pasley describe the launch of WCC at Longfellow this fall:
"Coaching
is in full gallup at Longfellow, where our 50 volunteers work, laugh, and share
their love of words
with five eighth-grade and five seventh-grade classes. A few of the older kids
we coached last year
even smiled and waved at their former coaches when we entered their classrooms
in October; to be not
only remembered, but remembered fondly is an unexpected and treasured gift.
Being able to see the kids
grow from semi-sweet tweens to oh-so-cool teens is only one of the myriad
benefits of coaching both
grades.
"So far
this year we've helped the seventh graders review and revise their district
writing assessments ("Oh,
yeah, I guess maybe I did forget to
write a thesis statement . . ."); describe their favorite color ("I like
red because it's so brave and from my heart . . ."); and compose
compare-and-contrast paragraphs ("Do
you think I should do it on my dog and my hamster or on Islam and
Christianity?"). The eighth-graders
have been working hard on personal essays about turning points in their lives;
argumentative essays
on whether to abolish the electoral college; and persuasive essays on George's
killing of Lennie
in Of
Mice and Men. Little did our new coaches know they would become experts on so
many subjects so very
quickly.
"When
things are humming in the writers' room, Mark and I sometimes just look at each
other and smile and
shrug, unable to believe our great good fortune in being able to do such good
work with such amazing
volunteers, teachers, and kids. We are truly grateful."
Over on Allston Way, WCC works with the ninth and tenth-grade students at the Community Partnerships Academy at Berkeley High. Site coordinator Sahib-Amar Khalsa begins her description of the start of coaching for 2008-09 with a question:
"Q: What makes writer coaching
successful?
"A: A dynamic group of coaches, enthusiastic students and supportive
teachers.
"If this is true, then Berkeley High School has what it takes. With
our first sessions for each of the 9th and 10th grade
classes of Community Partnerships Academy under our belt, we are already
receiving rave reviews from both students and teachers. With many returning
coaches from last year, together with an enthusiastic and highly competent crop
of new coaches, our team is very impressive. After our first day of coaching
her 10th grade classes, Susannah Bell wrote that she was thrilled. “The students kept coming by my room and
talking about their experience with their coach. I think it was very empowering
for them, as I heard them speaking very proudly of their writing. A couple of
the students got the same coaches as last year and it seemed to reinforce the
good feeling they were having about themselves, since in those cases the coach
commented on how they had grown as writers.… I mean, most of them (kids and
coaches) were beaming after the session. The interaction made me feel proud of
our students, but I have to tell you that your coaches were so warm and
receptive - it seems like the WCC has done some excellent work with training
the adults to be really encouraging and supportive AND sincere (which is
something that is very important to the students). Next time I will bring my
camera!” What a great note to start the year!"
