WriterCoach Connection

Media Academy students stand out in national contest

Amidst all the reports of school budget cuts, teacher layoffs and low test scores, leave it to some students at Media Academy to rewrite the story. Last month, the high school's student newspaper, the Green & Gold, took fourth place in a national journalism contest, beating out several private schools and schools with top-ranking California state test scores.  

The winners were announced on April 16 at the National Scholastic Press Association/Journalism Education Association's National Convention in Anaheim.

"It's very nice to get validation from an outside source," said Lisa Shafer, the paper's adviser. "I really don't think the students know how good they are. We do have real news, and we go after it." 

But it gets better. Two students, who participated in the WriterCoach Connection program at Media last year, took home top prizes in a write-off contest with more than 1,000 other students. Kim Mejia-Cuellar, a junior, earned an "Excellent" ranking in the news writing category while her twin sister Gloria "Jack" won an "Honorable Mention" for editorial writing at the conference. 

"I felt really proud," says Jack, reflecting on the experience from the newsroom at Media. "Comparing ourselves to other kids that have more money and better resources and seeing that their papers weren't that good, I learned it doesn't matter where you're from. You can still be a great journalist."  

Both girls wrote their pieces about the "Parent Trigger", a proposed school reform concept that would allow parents to force public schools into closing or becoming charter schools, if they failed to perform. Their submissions were judged on a broad range of criteria, from attention-grabbing leads, use of active verbs and interesting language to original angles and lack of errors.  

That's where the impact of WriterCoach Connection can be seen. "I think it gave me more confidence in my writing," said Jack, remarking on how coaching has influenced her writing on the paper. "Knowing that someone else is going to read your work -- it drives you to write better." 

According to Shafer, students care more about the craft of writing than they did in her first years at Media Academy, before WriterCoach Connection had a presence on campus. "It's hard to separate what part of that is WriterCoach Connection and what is the influence of a strong 10th grade writing teacher, Sonja Totten-Harris," says Shafer, who has been the paper's faculty adviser for five years. "I am convinced it is both, as the WCC program is especially successful at Media because we have an English Language Arts teacher who cares so much about students, about writing and about WriterCoach Connection." 

"I think the students are more open to receiving feedback on their writing and making revisions to it than they were in my first two years at Media, " Shafer added. "It used to be students would turn in a first draft and expect it to be published without having to do any more work on it. Now, they are more comfortable with the rewrites and rewrites and rewrites that good writing and good reporting often take."  

Kim Mejia-Cuellar concurred. "My writer coach definitely influenced me to get my writing published," says Kim. "She encouraged me to unleash the power of my words and supported me along the way. She also was genuinely interested in helping me become a better writer. Thank you, Kathy Kahn!"  

Both Mejia-Cuellar sisters are also active in Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia writing program and their school's debate team. "My writer coach encouraged me to go to 826 Valencia's writing camp over the summer and ever since I've been involved with the organization, " Jack said. "It's changed my life."   

Check out the award-winning Green & Gold and the photos below of Media students and advisor Lisa Shafer at the convention in Anaheim.

Lisa Awrey

 

Gloria "Jack" Mejia-Cuellar, a junior at Media Academy, works on her entry in the write-off contest at the National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim in April 2011. 

 
L. to r., Media Academy Juniors Kim Mejia-Cuellar and Gloria "Jack" Mejia-Cuellar are flanked by Sophomores Katelyn Bauzon and Laura Lem as they head out for the conference loaded with copies of their newspaper to share. 

 

 

Coming to a momentary stop at Claremont McKenna College, are (l. to r.) Kim Mejia-Cuellar, Gloria "Jack" Mejia-Cuellar, newspaper advisor Lisa Shafer, Katelyn Bauzon, and Laura Lem.

 

 

What students say about WriterCoach Connection

Our annual program assessment includes surveys of the students we coach. The comments below, from the 2010-11 surveys, particularly highlight the development of students' analytical skills, the building of students' confidence as writers, and the impact of the individual connection that is a key to our program's effectiveness.

Developing critical thinking skills

• She encourages me to think more deeply about my ideas. 
• It was very helpful and encourages me to think more deeply and add more feeling into my writing.
• We have conversations about the topic and get ideas from the deep thought of the conversation. 
• They say things like "writing is like excercizing except only with your hands and mind." It's very helpful to know that because it encourages me to become more imaginative.
• I was a strong writer before, but my coach got me to an even deeper and more complicated way of writing.
• He's definitely encouraged me to define my meanings/terms to have the reader understand my writing more.
• Working with a writer coach has changed how clearly I write and what concepts to include when. 
• I write more thoughtfully, take my time, and understand more.
• The writing coach made it easier to get those thoughts deep in my brain out on paper.  

Building confidence in student writers

• I felt more confident in my writing when my coach helped me.
• I hate writing but my coach makes me like what I write and want to work on it. 
• After working with my coach I feel like everything is clearer and I know what I want to write.
• It has worked, it often makes me realize that I'm actually a good writer and it helps me develop more writing skills.
• She makes me feel special about my writing.
• Helped me write more professionally and how to write with more ease. 
• I still hate writing, but now I can write more than a two-paragraph essay!

Leveraging the one-on-one writer-coach connection

• My writing coach listens to me and helps me understand things that confuse me.
• After I got my coach I started thinking about making strong sentences, words. He helped me to express my feeling and write the essay. He gave some strategy on how to write essay, and check or re-read the essay every time after I am done with it.
• It's so helpful. Sometimes my notes are very cluttered and all over the place. Also, she asks me how I'm doing and stuff like that, making it more personal. 
• I've always loved writing and it is great to share my ideas with someone who loves it just as much as I do. In the end I think it makes my writing better.
• I could see things that I would have never seen if I was alone.
• She is very kind, helpful, and encouraging. She seemed genuinely interested in my topic and gave great suggestions. 
• She encouraged and believed in me. 
• She told me to write from my heart.

Generating student motivation

• I have become more motivated to come to class.
• I used to get an inconsistent grade on essays, and with the help of my writing coach, my grade rose.
• I am starting to pay more attention to how I write. 
• It has made me want to strive for excellence in my writing.

Words that power the coaches

• It was super-dee-duper helpful.
• They should have more coaches!
• A wonderful program. Thank you to all of the coaches for volunteering their time. 
• I think every school should use this method.
• It's a great program. Very sad to leave.
• I love my coach!

 

Bob Menzimer

What teachers say about WriterCoach Connection

We conduct a comprehensive annual assessment of WriterCoach Connection and this year, teachers at our middle- and high-school sites shared the following comments about the impact of the program in their classrooms:

"The writing coaches were invaluable to my students' growth! It's amazing to see the difference one person can make for each student. I saw my students come alive with the attention and compassion they received from their coaches. Their voices were heard and the writer within each was really validated.The attention paid on such an individual level made a HUGE difference in their writing skills."

"I saw tremendous growth class-wide in ELD 4, a course focusing on English language acquisition and reading, writing, listening and speaking academic English at the appropriate grade level. I was thoroughly impressed with the efforts of the writer coaches and their ability to keep students actively engaged. ELD 4 has writers ranging from low-skilled to advanced level, and in each case, I saw growth in articulation of ideas and concepts, confidence in claims with textual support, and submissions of strong writing, whether revised or single draft. Comparing this year's ELD 4 class to last year's, it is clear that WCC had an immense impact on student work, writing craft, and quality of work. Rarely as a teacher am I available for my students to give them the time and attention they sorely need. WCC was an experience that has changed the lives of many. A number of ELD 4 students transitioned out to mainstream courses and were redesignated proficient in English, and it is no question that WCC played a big role in this regard."

"Students really enjoy having one-on-one coaching with their writing. They come back from a session excited about their work and ready to make the necessary edits and revisions to improve their writing."

"Students step up their game when it is time to share their work with an interested adult! Having another set of eyes and the opportunity to re-read work is a great way for students to develop revision skills, and hopefully develop an 'editorial' voice. Without the time with writer coaches this would be very difficult."

"Students become very used to their writer coaches and ask when the next time they'll be coming is. They often return from a coaching session proudly waving their work. Because coaches have students explain their thinking out loud, coaching pushes students' analysis of evidence to a deeper level. The regularity with which the coaches come is good for all types of writers but especially for low-skilled or reluctant writers."

"The one-on-one interaction with another adult has implications beyond just the writing. I have watched students engage with coaches who have been with the program with them since middle school. This consistency in their lives is a significant factor in helping the students' confidence. Working one on one with their writing, students complete assignments, understand the editing process, and learn new ways of looking at their writing."

"Just tonight at Open House, several students told their parents about essays they worked on with their writer coach. They were so proud of their work!"

 

Bob Menzimer