Writing Center Comes Back To Life
More by Katherine MinionNEIRAD enilno edition
Many things were left behind when the new Darien High School buildling opened in the fall of 2005. Gone was common time, the separate senior cafeteria and the huge ciruclar fountains in the bathrooms. One great academic asset that also went by the wayside was the Writing Center. This unique program provides student tutors to assist their peers with writing assignments.
English teacher Lynda Sorensen with the help of 2010 DHS graduate Andrew Davis is helping resurrect the program. The Advanced Composition team from last year will provide students and with a great opportunity to improve their writing in an interesting way.
“The main goals of the Writing Center are for tutors to gain experience, and for clients to turn ideas and rough work into something they can be really proud of,” Davis said.
Ms. Sorensen will be joined by the tutors who are required to complete the Advanced Composition course before becoming a tutor. While all of the tutors have demonstrated a penchant in writing, some of them specialize in specific areas of writing that they may be especially good at or that they find enjoyable.
“I love the notion of students listening carefully to each other's work,” said Ms. Sorensen. “... A tutor's voice is another voice that can be added to the classroom teacher's feedback.”
On the DHS Writing Center Web site, each tutor has a short biography about them describing their strengths as a writer, so students might be able to find a tutor that is especially useful to the kind of writing they need help. “The purpose of the Writing Center is to provide constructive advice to writers, no matter what they’re working on,” senior tutor Hannah Nolte said.
Students can go on the Writing Center’s web site to schedule an appointment. Tutors can meet with students during their frees, lunch shifts, or even before and after school. Sessions can range anywhere from five minutes to an hour, depending on the nature of the conversation and the length of the paper. Since the tutors have all different free periods, there are many opportunities every day for students to get help. Students can go over what they would like to improve and they will receive suggestions how to improve their piece. After the tutoring is finished, the tutor and the student fill out a sheet outlining what they accompished. Many teachers have agreed to reward extra credit on the assignment if a student shows them this sheet: another incentive to use the Writing Center.
The DHS Writing Center isn’t limited to helping with formal school papers. Students can seek help from the Writing Center for any type of writing, even if it is not school-related. “Whether they just need to bounce ideas off of someone for five minutes or need help editing a research paper, we’re here to help them,” Nolte said, “Students can sign up to meet with us no matter what stage they’re at.”
Currently, the DHS Writing Center is focusing on increasing the demand for their services. The relatively new group hopes to create a stronger presence in the school community and that students will begin to more frequently utilize this program.
The Darien Library has donated time and space to the Writing Center. Tutors will be able to sit in the conference room for a few hours, so students can go meet with tutors either by appointment, or at their own convenience. The Writing Center hopes to expand by making themselves available to students outside of school. Also, it is possible that in the future, the Writing Center may become an inter-school project. “We would like to extend our reach, and hopefully tutor with other schools,” Davis said.
Students that have completed the Advanced Composition course or are currently taking it and are interested in becoming tutors can contact Mrs. Sorensen by e-mail. “It was an idea I really liked. I like to write, especially creative writing, and I was so excited to be able to help students and help with this project,” Davis said.
Senior Hannah Nolte said that she became a tutor because, “I know there have been times when I needed help with something I was writing and I could’ve used advice from someone with more experience.” The Writing Center is a great way for student tutors to serve the school community with their writing skills , and a great opportunity for students to receive pointers on any kind of writing they they will face in this new school year.
