How to Become a Writing Coach for Public Schools
The first thing you may notice about ads for writing coaches is the addendum, “No experience necessary.” That’s because today’s public school writing coach is usually a non-paid volunteer working for a school or a nonprofit placement agency, helping fill instructional gaps at schools beset by budget and teacher cuts. Volunteering to help make a difference in the academic success of one or more students offers more than pleasure; you’ll make an investment in a child likely to remember your kindness for the rest of his life.
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Instructions
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Choose one type of coaching assignment, if you have a specialty. Some schools need volunteers to work with students in or out of class to help them compose and analyze their compositions with the goal of improving the student’s written communications skills. Other coaches work with youngsters who have problems taking essay exams, or need help preparing for SAT, CLEP, GED and college admission tests. A third type of writing coach supports the creative efforts of high schoolers, serving as an English department coach to assist students with their essays and papers. Not every school has the same need, so you may have to search for an assignment that fits your personal mission.
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Ask school administrators for a guide that describes the role you will play as a writing coach. You'll do more than oversee a student’s mastery of grammar, style, punctuation and spelling. In fact, you'll likely develop a one-on-one relationship with your student that's as much about high-fives, back pats, inspiration and encouragement as it is about nouns, verbs and adjectives. A big part of your coaching job consists of instilling confidence in a student’s ability to write. Working within school guidelines, goals, objectives and curricula, you’ll support faculty lesson plans and keep teachers and administrators apprised of your student’s progress.
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Obtain the proper training from school administrators so you start out on the right foot. Public school, nonprofit and for-profit coaching programs begin with a comprehensive training program that prepares a volunteer for all aspects of the job. Some schools hold one-on-one training programs for volunteers; others train in groups. These invaluable sessions may take a day or several days to complete. If there’s no training program associated with your coaching program, you may want to move on to another school. A solid training program will prepare you to tackle the academic and emotional aspects of coaching. You must know how to handle frustrations and the roadblocks you’ll encounter as students struggle to master writing skills.
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Start working with students in your capacity as a writing coach. Set ground rules immediately, so your student-partner understands that your relationship is based on boundaries, respect and accountability. It’s your job to find the right balance between encouragement and empowering versus aiding and abetting. It’s easy to fall into the role of coach-enabler if you’re kind-hearted, but you’ve both got serious work to do. If you feel there’s a barrier between you and your student at any time, address it immediately. Sometimes, coach and student are a bad fit for no reason. You’re the adult in the relationship. It’s up to you to recognize and deal with a situation accordingly.
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References
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