Writing Center pairs freshmen 'coaches' with middle-school students

Gracie Drought's first version of a paper about the British sugar trade in the 1700s needed more supporting details and more analysis, her teacher said.

"And I kind of sprinkled in too many commas," confessed Drought, an eighth-grader at South View Middle School in Edina.

Not satisfied with her initial grade on the paper, Drought sought out help at the school's Writing Center, a place where ninth-grade "coaches" help middle-school students learn the fundamentals of good writing — everything from grammar and punctuation to making a persuasive argument.

The South View Writing Center, now in its third year, is part of the school's unique approach to help take some anxiety out of the writing process for middle-schoolers, many of whom are just starting to pick up more advanced styles of writing like thesis-driven essays.

The new state standards for English language arts put a premium on good writing skills, particularly when used to translate more complex works of nonfiction.

"A core belief of ours is students need feedback on their writing to grow as writers," said Tess Bademan, a South View English teacher and the center's founder. "The writing conference is definitely a powerful tool to give kids feedback — far more powerful than writing comments on their paper."

Writing centers are quite common in college settings. In high schools, they are a little rarer. Edina High School opened a writing center — called The Writers' Block — in 2010. At the time, it was thought to be only the second high-school writing center in the state. Today there are high-school centers in Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Burnsville.

South View's writing center is powered by the relationships between the middle-school students and their coaches. Bademan explained that when the center first opened, it tried using adults, including some parents and teachers, as coaches, but quickly found out that students greatly preferred working with their peers.

"It was clear that they had an ease with the ninth-graders that allowed them to collaborate in a more meaningful way," Bademan said.

As an eighth-grade English teacher, Bademan has a pulse on some of her former standout writers. Some volunteer. Others are cajoled into action.

Freshman Emily Kompelien was an easy sell.

"I really like to write, and I was here before when I was younger and thought it was really cool," she said. "I thought it was good to get feedback on my work.

Added Bademan, "Most them are here because they really want to get behind the cause of good writing, and to support other students in their building."

Before the center opens each year, coaches are instructed on how to work with students who come through the writing center seeking help.

One of their primary directives is to allow the middle-school students to make the revisions themselves. Grabbing a pen and marking up a paper in red ink would be frowned upon, as would deleting entire passages of text on the screen.

Last Wednesday, Tanner Jones worked with Kunsang Dhondup on his paper, making sure the eighth-grader had addressed "higher-order concerns" — issues of planning, organizing and thought development.

"I actually really like editing papers," said Jones, a ninth-grader and new coach. "I don't really know why that is. I also like writing a lot. And it's fun to meet the lower classmen and talk about some of the projects that I've already worked on."

"He's the best coach ever," Dhondup said.

The center, which is funded by a grant from the Edina Education Fund, is open most days either before or after school. Traffic picks up when a major assignment is due. Last year, about the center hosted about 500 coach-student conferences.

Bademan said the feedback from South View's teachers has been positive about the center's effect on students' writing skills.

"What students are learning here is revision, and that's a really hard skill," she said. "The Writing Center embodies the revision process because you're here to get feedback."

Kim McGuire • 612-673-4469