The Write Stuff

By Alejandra Navarro

At the Library of Norwalk's Tracey Elementary School this spring, third-grader Nathaniel Roman captivated his audience when he read a few pages from his story about a secret journal. "The secret that no one knows is," he paused for emphasis, "just write where you'd like to go and the journal moves you from your quiet writing space to unbelievable adventures."

Tracey School's guests - state legislators, teachers, and Fairfield University officials - were just as amazed by Deonna Joyner's story about her cat. It was a simple, single sentence of prose, but they were impressed that Deonna, who was only in kindergarten, had already put her creative thoughts on paper.

Writing is an integral part of learning at Tracey Elementary and many other schools in the region, thanks to the work of the Connecticut Writing Project (CWP) at Fairfield University. State, school, and University officials met there in May to draw attention to the Project's success - primarily through examples of students' writing - and to highlight the need to keep CWP funding in the state budget.

"This small investment, I believe, has gone a long way," said State Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) at the event. Using the model of "teachers teaching teachers," the program equips classroom teachers with techniques and tactics that can improve students' writing skills. In 2004-05, about 1,000 teachers from 28 districts participated in its institutes and workshops.

Deonna Joyner is just one student who puts her creative thoughts to paper, thanks to the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University.

The CWP, which opened at Fairfield University in 2000, is one of two such sites in the state and operates under the aegis of the National Writing Project to work with teachers of students from kindergarten to the first year of college. The summer institute includes workshops on writing literature, early literacy practices, writing across the curriculum, and teaching English-language learners. The Project also offers on-site training, workshops, and in-service programs at the schools.

"Although my writing was correct, I had never been taught how to be a writer," says Jackie Knapp, a fourth grade teacher. "The Institute built me up as a writer, which then allowed me to help my students. My kids are using the writing workshop methods and they are flourishing."

According to Fairfield's CWP director, Faye Gage, students need to have teachers who understand the writing process. Teachers often feel unprepared to teach writing and don't always receive professional development in this area. "We wouldn't take golf lessons from a person who has never played the game," she says. "Students benefit from teachers who have been specifically trained, and are themselves readers and writers."

This training is more essential than ever, given the emphasis on writing in today's standardized tests. The Six-to-Six Magnet School in Bridgeport is one of several urban schools working with CWP to see a jump in such scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test. Closing the educational gap between urban students and their suburban counterparts is important to Gage.

"All students can learn to write creatively, effectively, and correctly," she says, noting that a federal Comprehensive School Reform grant has allowed the Project to expand its work. "After years of successful work with suburban teachers," she says, "the Project has enlarged its mission to include low-income schools that have sizable populations of second-language learners. These students benefit from many of the same instruction and strategies." This year, with support from a state grant, CWP is working with high school students from Bridgeport and Fairfield public schools who meet at the University to work on and share their writing.

Often children are afraid to write, and that fear can be eliminated with habitual writing. "If their writing is always to be evaluated and its merits determined by someone else, then it's always high stakes," says Dr. Betsy Bowen, associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences and associate director of CWP. "If they write frequently and they see their teacher writing, and their peers writing, it becomes more normal to write - and to struggle." Through scholarships funded by the Tauck Foundation, low-income students have, for the last three years, made up about half the class in the program's Young Writer's Institute. "It's great to give these kids resources for writing," says Dr. Bowen, "and to bring kids together from suburban and urban schools who care about writing."

Who knows? Maybe some day Nathaniel Roman or Deonna Joyner may be among the writers you read!