WriterCoach Connection

Waking up the Weary in the Fight for Student “Writes”

By Terri Lynn Sullivan
El Cerrito Recruitment Coordinator

For months, it was like pulling teeth just to get my coaching student to put pencil to paper and begin any essay prose. Caught in the throes of middle school madness, brilliant yet detached ideas would land on his brainstorming sheet.  This would be accompanied by the proverbial pencil tapping yawn, while dreams of the video game that kept him up too late wiggled his weary mind.

 Although the praiseworthy tactics of praise, question and wish worked wonders---yes! Someone says I can do this! ---the transition from pre-common core script about personal experience to the more sophisticated writing based on what he read, proved a daunting task. When asked if he will enter the upcoming Young Authors Writing Contest, he quickly shook his head “no”, intimidated by the mere thought.

But this seemed to come to an end, when his teacher came up with an idea more brilliant than those written onto the struggling writer’s template.  She turned the student’s next assignment into that writing contest! Suddenly, my weary wanderer was propelled into the limelight, whether he wanted to be or not. 

And what came next was a bit of a marvel. No pencil tapping, but rather….sheer enthusiasm! Inadvertently, his teacher had engaged, inspired and encouraged her students to write.  He was able to choose a topic that resonated well with him, his “Dream Career”. Now, a chance to write a more personal or narrative essay which is not so “academic” within his middle school mentality. Something he is passionate, experienced and has opinions about. His favorite sport, turned into a career!

For the first time, we actually got to a point where I could truly hear his voice on paper, rather than mere stifled words on a worksheet.  I told him that no matter what his dream career, he will need to know how to write.  Colleagues and clients expect clear communications, patrons need feedback.  If he makes it into the NBA, his loyal fans will write to him. And finally, I reiterated that he, a bright kid has a right to write!

To that, he answered “I never knew writing could be so valuable to me!” After the task of writing was connected to his innermost passion….we are talking about a kid likely to have his basketball in his backpack…the task of writing in school had been awakened.  

I then remembered that silence is productive. After asking him to jot down ideas on how he might attain this career, I sat quietly filling out his worksheet. His pencil moved smoothly across the page, dancing from one idea to the next.  It was a slow dance…yet not a stagnant tap dance! The pencil remained in motion, the ideas connected rhythmically to the thesis.

Since the new Common Core Standards emphasize writing across every discipline, it is essential to enlighten students to the value of amplifying their voices on paper.  To draw out the wonderment that lies within.  As Lucy Calkins, Founding Director of the Reading and Writing Project stated, “It’s a wake-up call that writing is important!”

The writing contest presented by the Bay Area Book Festival was the perfect carrot to dangle in front of my student, giving him an incentive to write.  It gives hope in getting students to turn in assignments, in the end raising academic confidence.  Now that is something to tap dance about!

 

A Coach's Perspective: Jeff Schauer reflects on the start of the year

Jeff Schauer is a student of colonial history at UC Berkeley and the author of the personal blog California Mwananchi. Jeff is also a writer coach, and this week was inspired to describe his experience during a very busy day of coaching at Berkeley High School and Williard Middle School. He leads in by reflecting:

I’d had a year hiatus from volunteering with the Writer Coach program in Berkeley, and returning to the two school campuses provided me with a moment to think about just what it is that keeps the volunteers coming back year after year. 

After eloquently describing the environment of coaching in general and Berkeley High in particular, he reflects:

Generally, coaches work with students on a brainstorming exercise, a pre-write, or a rough draft.  The beauty of the program is that it doesn’t discriminate.  Volunteers work with students of all writing levels—from those who struggle to get so much as a word down on the page to those who compose fluent prose essays with an enviable ease.  This way there’s no stigma of being hauled off to spend 20-50 minutes with an adult who is, in the high school mind, self-evidently un-cool.  There’s always a little bit of awkwardness in the first meetings, as coaches and students size each other up, but it’s magical to see how, during the course of the year, both parties are changed by the experience.  A coach who might start out skeptical of the abilities of an indifferent-seeming student, who might feel that they, an upper- middle-class professional might struggle to connect with an ESL student or one who might, at any time, find him- or herself without a meal or a place to live for the night.  A student who seems like a hard-bitten youth will inevitably reveal something of themselves through their writing, they’ll begin to develop a method that works for approaching an essay, and I think that most of them come to enjoy the half-hour of the week—probably the only half-hour—when they have the undivided attention of someone who is taking what they have to say seriously.

Jeff describes fitting an hour or two of coaching a week around his schedule as a local student—and more importantly, into his community perspective:

It is easy, as a student, to find that your world has become very small.  Academic work is never finished, and when your days start before the sun is up and end with nodding off on your books in the library long after it has gone down, your horizons grow constricted.  Taking part in WCC’s brilliant program has made Berkeley feel more like a home and less like a stopping-over point on the way to somewhere else. Meeting the coordinators and other volunteers, the warmest, most committed and giving community I’ve ever encountered, has been wonderful.  Meeting students, many of them with heavier stories than I’ve heard anywhere else, all of them with great ideas—sometimes below the surface, at other times overflowing—has been an honour. 

Jeff's summary is warm with praise—it makes us glow because it's exactly the feeling we want each and every coach to experience! We thank every coach for making the journey to become a writer coach, and ive an extra thanks to Jeff for expressing his experience in a way that means to much to all of us.

This volunteer program flies neither by night nor by the seat of its pants, and you walk away from each session with a sense of accomplishment and the idea that you’ve taken part in something which—although often challenging—is part of a bigger cause.

 

Enjoy Jeff's full story!

Christine McGuinness
via BHS Site Coordinator Sahib-Amar Khalsa

El Cerrito teachers honor our (and their) writer coaches

For the second straight semester, teachers at El Cerrito High School have hosted a party to honor the writer coaches who worked with their students. After school in the ECHS library on June 7, Principal David Luongo, English Dept. Chairperson Curt Douglas, and teachers Godhuli Bose, Jennifer Dreyfus, Kym Kuzmik, and Molly McGrath stood to offer heartfelt comments about what having the coaches meant to them and to their students this year. Other ECHS teacher colleagues looked on, bathed in the glow of a slideshow that displayed photos of the coaches in action and written expressions of appreciation from the teachers. Meantime, the coaches seated in the midst of the teachers glowed from within.

Below, teacher Jennifer Dreyfus (standing, center) is making this memorable comment: "Students that don't turn anything else in will turn in their writer-coach assignments."

Here is Principal David Luongo, expressing the hope that WCC returns to ECHS next year, as CAFL Board Chairperson Kathy Kahn (center) looks on with the same thought:

Below, English Dept. Chairperson Curt Douglas leads off the celebration, saying, "At the end of the year when we think about the challenges in the classroom, it's so uplifting to see the data of my students who worked with writer coaches, compared to my students last year who didn't have coaching."

Added Mr. Douglas, "This year, students handed in the largest, most ambitious and complex narrative essays I've ever seen. I got some 20-page submissions, and one 30-page paper. It was because they had three writer-coach sessions on this assignment."

We often hear heartfelt expressions of appreciation from teachers, but the two parties hosted for our coaches by teachers at El Cerrito High this year were a first. Needless to say, the thanks we heard from them were returned in kind!

Bob Menzimer

Every minute with a student counts!

Since the big education budget axe fell in Albany several years ago, Albany Middle School has not had funding for a full year of WriterCoach Connection. But the school administration and teachers have refused to lose their writer coaches completely, and have found a way to pay for a limited WCC program, serving every 8th grader in the school with writing support on their I-Search research projects for eight weeks in the spring. But never think that eight weeks of coaching, as opposed to 20, doesn't make a difference. Here is what some AMS 8th graders wrote to their coaches recently as they approached the end of their I-Search assignments:

"Thank you so much for helping me with a part of my I-Search. You really helped me improve my writing. Without your help, I wouldn't have done my best. I really appreciate you taking time from your day to help me out. Thanks for the help!" 

"Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with my I-Search! I appreciate your suggestions, reading through my writing patiently, and helping me spot grammar and spelling errors. I liked how you didn't have me read my work aloud and were very enthusiastic throughout our meetings. Thanks again!"

"Thank you so much for all the help. Thanks for helping me with every assignment. Without you my work wouldn't be as good. It was very fun to correct my work with you! Thanks again!"

"Thank you for helping me edit my media search paper and also my OSO [onsite observation]  paper. It really helped me get a better grade for my I-Search. THANK YOU!"

"Thank you for helping me edit my Media Search and OSO paper. I agree that it is nice to do a research project on a topic of my choice. It was nice to have someone to talk to about Alcatraz. Thank you again."

"Thank you so very much for all the great feedback you have given me. It really helped me get an awesome grade on my media search paper. I am so glad to have been able to work with such an experienced writer."

"Thanks a lot! I came later for the 8th grade, so I was really confused with all the I-Search stuff. You helped me a lot with these things. You helped me especially with the O.S.O. final draft. Thanks for the patient [sic] with me. I learned a lot with you .. One more time, THANK YOU!"

"Thanks for helping me make a better letter by helping brainstorm questions for each location I sent to. Sadly, I did not get a reply from any of the people I sent to, but it was still good experience for writing business letters. Thanks!"

"Thank you so much for helping me with everything! I am especially thankful for your help with the 'Letters to the Experts.' I really got some good ideas from you. I really enjoyed talking to you. THANK YOU."

"Thank you so much for all of your help with my I-Search. I thought that writer coaches would be boring, but you made it interesting. You reviewed my papers, and then we talked about fun things, like Portal, Las Vesas, and GTH. Thank you."

And from all of us, a big thank you to AMS site coordinator Peg Healy and her coaches for providing the expert support that generates these heartfelt expressions of appreciation!

Bob Menzimer

WriterCoach Connection at Berkeley High: teacher wants more!

We're planning the continuation of WCC for next year at Berkeley High's Green Academy, where we are coaching 12th grade students this year. Teacher Dagny Dingman is hoping we can expand writer coaching next year to include Green's 9th grade composition classes.

In the course of conversations about next year, Dagny had this to say about WCC:

"The program has been fabulous, has worked very well with my courses. The students have gotten a lot out of their work with coaches. Their writing has become more autonomous, less about me directing the writing process, and more about them being engaged in the writing process as it comes from them and from their work with people besides me. Their work therefore more accurately reflects what they'll be doing with their writing after high school, when they'll be more on their own. WCC also forces me to assign more writing, so the kids simply do more of it. We work on assignments longer, with more revisions. For the students, writing becomes less of an isolated activity, more of a constant exercise. WCC helps to demystify writing for my students."

We certainly hope to be back at Green next year, with writing support for students at Green Academy, and for Dagny and her teaching colleagues.

Bob Menzimer

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

Teachers tell why they love WriterCoach Connection

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                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

 

 

Tell the world about WriterCoach Connection!

The website Great Nonprofits is a location to find, review, and talk about nonprofit organizations and programs. Our volunteers and supporters are typically bursting with stories about the value of WriterCoach Connection for the students and teachers we serve, and for themselves. Please share your stories and feelings about WCC on Great Nonprofits. It will help us spread the word and attract the volunteers we need for further program expansion.

Many thanks!

Bob Menzimer