Teachers today face daunting curricular loads and badly overcrowded classrooms. Imagine trying to cram in the required instructional material while attempting to give individual attention to up to 30 students in a class. Virtually impossible. So imagine the impact on a teacher who has a team of trained coaches on hand to offer one on one writing support to every student in class.
No need to imagine it. Here's what the teachers say.
Remarks Caitlin Alastra, a Longfellow Middle School teacher in Berkeley who serves students in Read 180 classes, for students performing below and far below grade level:
"I taught my students last year in 6th grade so I can say from experience that my Read 180 students are producing much more high-quality writing as 7th graders, thanks to the support of the writer coaches. On several occasions my students have returned from meeting with their coaches elated by words of encouragement from their coach. For these students, being able to express their ideas in writing is a huge victory. I'm deeply appreciative for the positive experiences with writing the writer coaches have facilitated with these emerging writers."
Caitlin's Read 180 teaching colleague Nina Ziskin notes:
"Many of the Read 180 students were initially resistant to the idea of working with the writer coaches. I believe they are afraid of exposing their low skills to strangers. However, as the year has progressed, the students are more willing to receive assistance from the coaches, and have even begun to state that they find it helpful.
"The students' increased willingness to take advantage of an opportunity for assistance, despite the risks to their self-esteem, is one of the benefits I have observed this year. I think this improvement is at least partly related to the coaches' willingness to modify their approach to meet the individual needs of each student. I am hopeful that the students are learning the value of taking a risk and accepting help when it is offered.
"One academic difference I notice from last year (when Read 180 didn't have coaches) is that the students are writing longer paragraphs, with more detail.
"Finally, it must be obvious, but there is no way the students could get this much individual attention from just one teacher."
And from Albany Middle School teacher Jamie Heans:
"Considering the number of students in a classroom (thirty or so students, one teacher), it’s a real challenge to teach writing. One of the best interventions to overcome that ratio is WriterCoach Connection. I couldn’t give students this kind of one-on-one attention at this point.
"I’ve noticed that with writer coaching, the students’ papers are dramatically better. Students respond to the coaching and will tell you that they enjoy it. I’ve heard them make comments like, 'My writer coach really liked my piece! She wrote lots of comments about it.' Students feel honored and valued as writers when volunteers come in and give them this one-on-one attention.
"This is valuable contact time. The student-coach pairing is a great relationship."
We're deeply grateful to these dedicated teachers who go out of their way to craft writing assignments for writer-coach support and represent a key factor in the success of WriterCoach Connection.
Bob Menzimer