Write on, Kids

Amid scraps of construction paper and pictures of Frida Kahlo
and the Mona Lisa, students in an art room at Palms Middle School
eagerly offer their conceptions of plots to Corey Chapman and Lisa
Graff, two fourth-year UCLA students.

With the help of the Donald A. Strauss Public Service
Scholarship, a grant awarded to college students, Chapman and Graff
have instituted a creative writing program for students at the
local middle school to perpetuate their love for the arts and to
encourage the students to write their way through challenging
periods in their lives.

“Writing got me through tough times,” said Chapman,
a fourth-year history and English, with a creative writing
emphasis, student. “When kids feel like their grades tell
them they aren’t smart enough or their parents tell them
they’re not good enough, (writing) is a good thing to do to
cope and boost your confidence.”

Each week the pair teaches the students about an aspect of
writing ““ specifically short stories ““ for example,
plot, characterization and setting. To help the students understand
the concepts, Chapman and Graff lead a hands-on activity, then
suggest writing exercises for the students to complete at home.
Last week, the group made storyboards, cut out and rearranged each
frame, then had a partner assemble it in the proper order.

“It’s challenging to actually put into words what
each part is, then figure out how to teach it,” said Graff, a
fourth-year linguistics and psychology student.

Last year, when applying for scholarships through the honors
department, Chapman learned of the Strauss Public Service
Scholarship from a counselor, and decided to apply.

The foundation was established in January 1997 in memory of
Donald A. Strauss, for his dedication to public service and
education. Each year the foundation awards 10 scholarships to
college students who “demonstrate interest in public service,
outstanding leadership potential and effective communication
skills, and wish to make a difference in the community.”

Chapman has worked with Palms Middle School in the past, so he
thought the school would be perfect for his program. Fall quarter
of this school year, after passing out flyers at the school,
Chapman and Graff instituted their after-school program and were
met instantly with enthusiasm.

“Last quarter we each taught a class alone with 40 kids in
each class,” Chapman said. “There was a waiting list,
and we had to turn some kids away.”

The program has been a learning process for both the
middle-school students as well as their student-teachers. Even
though they received great participation and interest, the two
encountered challenges. Graff and Chapman both said how daunting it
was to teach energetic 11- and 12-year-olds when they are still
students themselves.

This quarter the two team-teach one class each week with the aim
of creating an intimate and supportive atmosphere for the students.
While Graff and Chapman are trying to improve the students’
writing capabilities, they have found that encouragement is far
more effective than lecturing.

“More kids are turning in stories for us to read,”
Graff said. “And during the break I got two e-mails from one
girl asking when classes would start again. She was so excited to
write.”

Though learning to write is the main emphasis of the program,
the benefits that come to the students through the process are
sometimes the most rewarding.

“I’ve learned to express myself in words and
I’ve learned to laugh,” said one of the seventh-graders
at Palms Middle School.

Another student agreed that she has gained life lessons through
creative writing.

“I feel like I’ve learned to be more open with
others,” she said.

At the end of the Feb. 26 class, Graff and Chapman distributed
brand-new journals to their students. Each student delightedly
looked at their new confidants, smoothed their hands over the
cover, and sent a breeze through the pages.

It was not just the learning, but the experience that the
students got to take home with them.

“Its not so much about teaching as it is about
doing,” Graff said.