Coach Peter Geraghty, who works with students at both El Cerrito High School and at Berkeley High, reports regularly on his experiences with students, and his accounts offer a valuable view of what writer coaching is really like. Here is part of Peter's account from a coaching day last week:
"At BHS, on Thursday morning, I worked with students that I've worked with before and began to see some of the benefits of continuity. I'm not claiming huge changes, but one student I've now met about four or five times has become more and more open about the kind of hurt she has suffered in school. The teacher has given the class lots of room to vent and I've encouraged the student to write honestly about injustice. She's begun to change from someone who was beaten down, felt kinda hopeless, to someone who wants to be heard; she's a little bit less afraid of failing, of getting in trouble and a little more comfortable with speaking up. I really hope it sticks; this would give me the reason for volunteering."
I'll recount more of Peter's coaching experiences as he continues to report on them.
Bob Menzimer