Dr. Pam Childers Inspires Tutors

Dr. Pam Childers's visit to Berkeley was engaging, informative, and provided current tutors with a fresh perspective on the tutoring process. In the words of senior Elizabeth Pearce, "Dr. Childers helped me remember what tutoring is all about- the writer gaining confidence in his own work." Students in general particularly enjoyed her story about acting out a student's story on her hands and knees to show sometimes our writing does not accurately convey what we are trying to say. Senior Emily Dolgin was fortunate enough to have Dr. Childers visit her AP Language class where she made the effort to connect with each student individually and relate her personal stories to the students' interests. Her visit inspired all of us to become better tutors and carry the lessons working in the Writing Center has taught us in all our future endeavors.

Visiting Lecturer - Dr. Pamela Childers

We will have a visiting lecturer, Dr. Pamela Childers, coming to speak with our tutors and members of our center. For many years she was director of the Caldwell Writing Center at the McCallie School after starting a writing center in a public school in New Jersey. Former president of the International Writing Centers Association, presenter and consultant with writing centers internationally, Pam is the author of numerous publications on secondary school writing centers including The High School Writing Center: Establishing and Maintaining One and co-author of the forthcoming WAC Partnerships Among Secondary and Postsecondary Institutions. She is the recipient of the IWCA and SWCA Service Awards. Pam currently serves as an Executive Editor of The Clearing House and collaborates with writing center directors and tutors internationally. She has been a longtime friend of our center, helping us to present at conferences and introducing us to other high school writing centers. She will be speaking to the tutors about Writing Center culture and the faculty directors to help us become an even better Writing Center!

Highlights from the Writing Center's Annual Author's Tea

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Tutors Skype with Mourning High School

On Wednesday, March 4^th, three of our Writing Center tutors Skyped with students from Alonzo and Tracy Mourning High School and one of the writing center directors from Florida International University.  Daniela Marques, Vikram Nandyala, and Carolyn Tirella represented our Writing Center and gave advice to a group of students wanting to start their own writing center at their school.  Hopefully, this is just the start of an ongoing relationship between our two schools.  Our Writing Center is proud to have made another connection with students outside of our school, and we hope that they will soon be able to start their own center!

Upcoming First Grade Tutorial

As spring rolls around, the Writing Center is gearing up for one of our most popular events of the school year- the first grade tutorial, which will take place on Wednesday, March 11. Writing Center tutors are paired up with first graders to help them perfect the stories they will share with their parents later this year at the first grade tea. Not only is this event a positive learning experience for both the tutors and first graders, it is also a fun way to establish relationships between different age groups and get to know Berkeley's younger students. Spending time with first graders can improve our own writing as their strong imaginations inspire us all to explore our creative side.

Writing Center tutors write greeting letters introducing themselves to their first grade buddies.