WriterCoach Connection

A shout-out to the linchpins of WriterCoach Connection

In just about every respect we can identify, WriterCoach Connection site coordinators are central to the success of the program. As the nexus between the organization and the schools, between the coaches and the teachers, and between the coaches and the students, they are the nerve center for everything. It takes an extraordinary person to handle this job, a rich mixture of organizational and personal capabilities. The job is an enormous amount of work, and the pay is little more than a stipend. So the compensation and the scheduling narrow the list of site coordinator candidates each year and only the most dedicated WCC coaches apply for these positions.

As we approach the end of the 2008-09 school year, I know I'm joined by all our program stakeholders--students, teachers, coaches, staff, and board members, in expressing deep appreciation for these sterling site coordinators:

Lisa Awrey - Media Academy
Teresa Barnett - Albany High
Jeanine Brown - Willard Middle School
Kathleen Hallam - King Middle School
Peg Healy - Albany High
Sahib-Amar Khalsa - Berkeley High
Karen Larson - Albany Middle School
Mark Pasley - Longfellow Middle School
Clara Sneed - Media Academy
Annie Stine - Longfellow Middle School
Nancy Whitney - Albany Middle School

The success of WriterCoach Connection starts with these eleven extraordinary people, for whom we have boundless admiration.

Bob Menzimer

Packing a punch: Words from CP Academy students in Berkeley

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!

Bob Menzimer

Oakland students' feedback on WCC: Off the charts!

At Media Academy in Oakland, the students being served by WCC volunteers have spoken, and did they get our attention! Preliminary results from this year's program assessment at Media offer powerful testament to student appreciation and support for WriterCoach Connection. EVERY tenth-grade student, without exception, indicated that coaching overall was helpful to some degree--not a single student said that coaching was not helpful. The average score for WCC on student surveys, on a scale of 4.0, was 3.37, the highest of all three high schools that WCC serves. And this from an age group not noted for expressing unbridled enthusiasm for things academic.

Specific comments from the students indicate that the Media students really appreciate the help, the individual attention they get from coaches, and the fact that coaches listen to the students' ideas and help them articulate what they are trying to get down on paper.

No wonder our coaches love volunteering at Media!

Bob Menzimer

They don't call it the best yard sale in town for nothing

Last year one browser bubbled, "Oh I'm so glad you guys are back. This is the best yard sale of the year!" It  was, of course, the annual WriterCoach Connection benefit yard sale. And it's coming back, on Saturday, April 18, 9:00 to 4:00, filling the sidewalks at 2447 Derby in Berkeley, just east of Telegraph, and just up from Andronico's. Stacks of premium stuff, piles of just plain stuff that somebody loved once and somebody else will love again.

To help support WCC, you don't have to spend money--you can provide something to sell! To donate goods for the yard sale, please call Kathy at 510.524.9270 or Christine at 510.649-7555.

Meantime, here's Lisa Awrey (below), current WriterCoach Connection site co-coordinator at Media Academy in Oakland, admiring the goods at last year's event. Come on by this year. Come on, buy this year!

Bob Menzimer

What the coaches have to say

If you're thinking of becoming a writer coach but haven't taken the plunge because you're still wondering what the experience is really like, here's a pretty good inside peek from some of the volunteers who have jumped in:

"Writer Coach is an excellent, well organized program - the leaders are committed and talented, the training is well designed, the volunteers are impressive people from many backgrounds, and working closely with a wonderful classroom teacher is invaluable. All of this makes one-on-one coaching a very valuable experience for both the volunteer and the student."

---Dale Rogers Marshall (retired college professor and president)

"I think WCC is a truly special program and I'm thrilled that I've been able to contribute to it, especially at Media Academy where the need is so great. I hope to enjoy a relationship with the students at Media Academy and with WCC for a long time to come. Thanks for allowing me to become a writing coach!"

---Lori Mandell

"Ironically, I received an email from WriterCoach Connection requesting a donation right after I had used some of the skills I learned as a writer's coach about three years ago. My daughter is a student at the University of Oregon and she is applying to the Family and Human Services major. She was asking for some guidance on writing her position statement to be accepted into the program. Not only did I feel able to help give her some useful feedback on her draft essay, I also felt able to provide feedback in a contructive way thanks to the writer's coach training. Therefore, it was easy for me to make a donation to your worthwhile organization! I don't profess to be an expert writer, but I do feel like I learned how to be a good coach."

---Barbara Liepman

"This is still the best volunteer thing I've ever done in the schools."

---Phyllis Orrick

Our thanks to these coaches for their heartfelt work with our students, and for their willingness to write about it!

Bob Menzimer

A Longfellow teacher's view of WCC

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.

Bob Menzimer

King teachers and students give thumbs-up to their writer coaches

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!

Bob Menzimer