Testimonials
We serve many diverse audiences: students, teachers, and coaches. Here is how they describe the WriterCoach Connection experience:
Students
Teachers
Teachers at our middle- and high-school sites shared the following comments about the impact of the program in their classrooms:
"The WCC sessions have been invaluable for my students' success and motivation in writing. The writing coach may be the only person in an individual student's life who gives them an hour of undivided attention; the fact that they are getting this hour from a caring adult but also one who helps them improve in an area they will undoubtedly use in their lives is nothing short of extraordinary."
—Community Partnerships Academy, Berkeley High School
"I love that the WriterCoach Connection creates an authentic audience for my students’ voices!"
—Media Academy, Oakland
"The program is invaluable. I wish that we had been able to have them in the class even more often—the more time we get with the coaches, the better my students will do. The coaches have been wonderful. They are positive, encouraging and my students always emerge more excited about their assignments and the possibility of their completed essays. I wish I could thank them enough!"
—Willard Middle School, Berkeley
"Students of every level have something to gain from one-on-one instruction, remembering that not just the struggling writers need guidance on their writing."
—Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley
"I see a huge difference in my students’ writing! They are much more confident and clear."
—Albany Middle School
Additional comments include:
"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."
"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.""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."
"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."
Coaches
"I just can't say enough about what a super program this is. Two of its main strengths are the excellent level of organization provided by the coordinators and the one-on-one nature of engagement with students. I think that coaches benefit as much as do the students."
"This is still the greatest volunteer work ever....connecting to the schools in a sincere and meaningful way."
"I think knowing what is expected by the teachers is a huge key to being able to be helpful to the students, and I have felt the organizers and teachers make sure we have this info."
"I'm a writing teacher on child-rearing hiatus, and I would have killed to have this program in my classroom. I'm psyched to support it!!"
"I appreciate the professionalism and organization of the program. It is a pleasure working with the site coordinator and my fellow coaches. It is an extraordinary group of people."
"Most comprehensive training program I have ever seen for volunteer tutoring!"
"This is the most effective way to spend time volunteering in Berkeley schools that I have ever experienced."
"My greatest sense of success came from a student who started out writing very little and ended up with a very full I Search [report] and a touching thank-you letter."
"Ten years and no sign of burning out yet!"
"Thanks so much for this opportunity. I love coaching and I say with utmost sincerity that it has changed my life for the better."
Students
- I understood the assignment after my coach showed me how to break it down step by step.
- My coach made it easier for me to know how to start off an essay.
- My coach showed me ways to make my writing better, and asked me good questions about my ideas.
- I loved it and found them extremely intelligent and helpful.
- My coach helps by encouraging me, and listening.
- It is fun to work with someone who likes writing.
- My coach helped me think of places to find information and good people to interview for my paper.
- It really calmed me down.
- They definitely have helped me overall by working through what I had written and making suggestions.
- We need more time with the writer coaches—they’re awesome! I feel good about writing now because of my writer coach!
Teachers
Teachers at our middle- and high-school sites shared the following comments about the impact of the program in their classrooms:
"The WCC sessions have been invaluable for my students' success and motivation in writing. The writing coach may be the only person in an individual student's life who gives them an hour of undivided attention; the fact that they are getting this hour from a caring adult but also one who helps them improve in an area they will undoubtedly use in their lives is nothing short of extraordinary."
—Community Partnerships Academy, Berkeley High School
"I love that the WriterCoach Connection creates an authentic audience for my students’ voices!"
—Media Academy, Oakland
"The program is invaluable. I wish that we had been able to have them in the class even more often—the more time we get with the coaches, the better my students will do. The coaches have been wonderful. They are positive, encouraging and my students always emerge more excited about their assignments and the possibility of their completed essays. I wish I could thank them enough!"
—Willard Middle School, Berkeley
"Students of every level have something to gain from one-on-one instruction, remembering that not just the struggling writers need guidance on their writing."
—Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley
"I see a huge difference in my students’ writing! They are much more confident and clear."
—Albany Middle School
Additional comments include:
"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."
"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.""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."
"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."
Coaches
"I just can't say enough about what a super program this is. Two of its main strengths are the excellent level of organization provided by the coordinators and the one-on-one nature of engagement with students. I think that coaches benefit as much as do the students."
"This is still the greatest volunteer work ever....connecting to the schools in a sincere and meaningful way."
"I think knowing what is expected by the teachers is a huge key to being able to be helpful to the students, and I have felt the organizers and teachers make sure we have this info."
"I'm a writing teacher on child-rearing hiatus, and I would have killed to have this program in my classroom. I'm psyched to support it!!"
"I appreciate the professionalism and organization of the program. It is a pleasure working with the site coordinator and my fellow coaches. It is an extraordinary group of people."
"Most comprehensive training program I have ever seen for volunteer tutoring!"
"This is the most effective way to spend time volunteering in Berkeley schools that I have ever experienced."
"My greatest sense of success came from a student who started out writing very little and ended up with a very full I Search [report] and a touching thank-you letter."
"Ten years and no sign of burning out yet!"
"Thanks so much for this opportunity. I love coaching and I say with utmost sincerity that it has changed my life for the better."
