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NHS Writing Center

Emily McCoy, Staff Writer

The NHS Writing Center is one of many resources students have access to here at Newtown High School. Students in need of help formatting or revising an essay can use the writing center as a resource in room B143, to seek assistance from a trained student, the teacher currently on duty, or the Writing center Coordinator.

To help train these student tutors, the English department recently started a class called Writing Center Theory and Practice available for those who wish to be a tutor.

“In the Writing Center Theory and Practice students are taught how to conduct a conference and how to operate a student run writing center,” “NHS English teacher Rick Lye said.

After the student has completed the course, credit will be received when tutoring, and when going to college if they choose to do so the students can continue to tutor while getting paid.

When wanting to seek help from Writing Center it is important to note, the essay does not have to be finished in order to receive help, but rather the essay can be at any point in the process. In addition the rubric is important to have so the teacher or student helping has something to refer to.

“ They should also arrive with an idea of what they want to accomplish during their session with a tutor, so that the conference is meaningful and helpful; having a clear goal is a great way to ensure that students have a positive experience in the writing center,” NHS English teacher Joanna Diaz said

All the faculty and students in the writing center are there to provide help to anyone in need and will look at all papers without judgment.

“We wish students knew that the Writing Center is a judgment-free zone where anyone can come to talk about their writing - regardless of where they are in the writing process,” Diaz said.

The student will be asked to read their paper to whoever is giving them feedback, which some students find hard to do a times, or uncomfortable with. However it is important to note the purpose being for this is, it allows the students to identify any mistakes they have made without the help of someone else.

“The Writing Center provides a place for students to grow as writers through dialogue about their writing. Whether it be them and a teacher or a peer tutor, the idea is for it to be a conversation about writing it’s not just edits to a paper its conversation about how to make the writing better,” NHS English Department Chair Abigail Marks said.

One of the main goals of the writing center is to allow students to grow as a writer. This resource for students is preparing them for college as well due to the effective format of the writing center. The way it is run is similar to those of college allowing student to develop effective skills.

The Writing Center has worked hard to provide a beneficial and positive experience for students. Not only can one go with an English paper but also with a history, science, college essay etc and receive feedback to help better the essay.

Image Courtesy of nyack.edu

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