Bringing the College into the city

Two high-profile grants enable Holy Cross faculty to work with the Worcester Public School system in developing innovative programs.

By Phyllis Hanlon

The mention of standardized testing, SATs, essay questions and even simple compositions tends to send a shiver through both students and teachers. The idea of writing a cohesive, creative piece of fiction or narrative has, for some reason, taken on a menacing tone. And yet, so many aspects of life depend on the ability to construct a grammatically correct sentence and write an intelligent paragraph. With the help of a three-year grant from the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Holy Cross is attempting to rekindle the passion for writing in Worcester Public School teachers. The project director and teachers involved hope this inspiration will trickle down to students in their classrooms.

When the grant opportunity arose, Charles S. Weiss, director of the Office of Grants and Corporate and Foundation Giving, jumped at the chance to implement a writing program. "The conditions of the grant specified one school system, one grade level and one subject," said Weiss. Since the college has received numerous science grants to work in the Worcester community, he explained, it seemed time to focus on language and writing. 

"We targeted the ninth grade since that is the time when students begin to lose their own voice and acquire the voice of their peers and society," Weiss said. 

The program, "Teaching Creative Writing in the Worcester Public Schools," is comprised of four parts: a weeklong institute for the public school teachers, a seminar for Holy Cross students on the teaching of creative writing, a student internship in the classroom and a public presentation of the completed literary works in the form of a magazine and/or readings. The intensive weeklong summer institute gives a group of Worcester Public School teachers a rare opportunity-the chance to devote time strictly to writing. The ultimate goal is to instruct these teachers in the art of creative writing so that they can carry the lessons back to the classroom. A total of 60 teachers and 1,400 students should ultimately benefit from this training. Originally intended for ninth-grade teachers only, the program was opened up to include English as a Second Language instructors and teachers from other grades as well.

Eve Shelnutt, a professor in the English department, was chosen to spearhead this project based on her vast experience and accomplishments. "She is very knowledgeable about teaching others to be creative and how to teach creative writing," Weiss said. With 30 years experience, five collections of short stories, three volumes of poetry and several books on teaching creative writing to her credit, and having undertaken similar programs in other states, she was the logical choice for the job. Her most noted book, The Magic Pencil: Teaching Children Creative Writing, was distributed to the participants and served as an additional teaching tool. Her strong belief that "to be a teacher of creative writing, you have to write creatively" became the credo behind the grant.

During the first two years of the grant, teachers participating in the summer institute lived on campus in order to eliminate outside distractions. "There was complete immersion in the process of writing," said Weiss. "They wrote and learned incessantly. Without the pressures of home and work, the teachers were able to tap into their creative energies more effectively."

In this intense literary environment, peers, visiting professors and other experts inspired the teacher/students to create poetry, short stories and creative nonfiction. Debra Brown, a seventh-grade teacher from the Burncoat Middle School, can testify to the intensity of the institute. "One of our teachers-Barbara Helfgott Hyett-was in your face, brash and too intense at first. I didn't think I would like this workshop at all. I thought it was a rather odd approach to take," she said. However, with encouragement from her peers and a little practice, Brown was able to "find [my] own voice by the middle of a poem." She was especially pleased when Helfgott Hyett complimented her for "being rooted." Brown said, "If she could see the real me in that poem, I want my students to be able to accomplish the same thing."

Helfgott Hyett, the director of the Workshop for Publishing Poets, artist-in-residence for the Massachusetts Cultural Council and author of four books of poetry, was joined by guest lecturers William Holinger and Richard Hoffman. Holinger, author of The Fence-Walker and numerous other published stories, was awarded the Associate Writing Programs' Novel Award. He has co-authored six young-adult novels and has taught fiction at Emerson College, Harvard University, the University of Michigan and Brown University. An expert in the nonfiction genre, Hoffman is the author of Half the House: a Memoir. He has taught private seminars on the art of the memoir and first-person narrative and is currently working on a novel. The presenters shared their own works and conducted workshops in each of the three genres.

Peter Weyler, an eighth-grade teacher from the Dr. Arthur F. Sullivan Middle School, found the institute, and the three experts, "fabulously encouraging." Personally, Weyler developed a focused and more critical eye in his writing. He is currently working on a book of poetry, a novel and some assorted short stories. Weyler has applied some of the institute's lessons to his classroom assignments. "My students just finished a chapter on narrative. I instructed them to add just the right detail, to reflect on the heart of the story," he said. "It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the best narrative writing I've had from my class." Weyler notes that the more excited he is about a subject, the easier it is to teach it. 

Weyler cites a combination of bonding and friendly friction between the participants. "Both the writers and the teachers have strong, independent personalities." Each person walked away from that week with something special, according to Weyler. "I've loved it and would certainly participate again. It's hard to believe it's only a week long. I saw some bonding and intense personal feelings develop," Weyler said. 

For Brown, her best moment came with the writing of a creative nonfiction piece. "I experienced an epiphany when we did our photo memoir exercise," said Brown. The teachers were asked to bring in photos of themselves and evaluate the "then and now" aspects of the pictures. "I brought in a professionally taken photograph. Six years ago I thought that beauty was beauty. Now I know it's really what's in your mind. All the make-up and external trappings are not important," she said. 

The institute has affected Holy Cross students as well as the teachers who participate in the program. Tess Doyle '00 worked with teacher Gail Holland in her 10th-grade English class at Doherty High School. Prior to entering the classroom, Doyle spent three weeks with Shelnutt to "talk about the teaching situation." She was warned about "culture shock." Many of the Holy Cross students involved in the project come from backgrounds that differ significantly from those of the students they will teach. "I taught a variety of classes at the school. The students are really good kids and are challenging. They come from different backgrounds and are certainly different writers than I would be," said Doyle. She finds that the students look forward to the days she teaches. "These kids don't necessarily like to write, but I think they are enjoying it better as time goes on." Doyle sees a double benefit to her presence in the classroom. "For the teachers, it is a change of pace. I think they like to see someone else come in to teach a class. And for the students, they get to relate to someone closer to their own age. I can share what I have learned in my own classes with them." As for Doyle, she feels that her leadership skills have improved. 

Chad Buri '00, another participant in the program, has been assisting Weyler with his eighth-graders at the Sullivan Middle School. "This has essentially been an incredible experience. I am getting a different perspective on Worcester from these kids. They let me into their lives," said Buri. Although he and Weyler collaborate on some projects, for the most part, Buri designs his own lesson plans. Like Doyle, he emphasizes the excellent rapport he has developed with the students. He, too, finds the experience to be a personal challenge. "At first I didn't know what to expect and neither did the class. It is a challenge keeping everyone involved and interested," he said. 

In addition, the students must focus on teaching literary techniques. Each Holy Cross apprentice is responsible for creating a literary magazine with the students. This publication exemplifies the improvements the students have made over the course of the semester. The final result also becomes a great source of pride for the students, their teachers and the Holy Cross interns. 

The teachers were also given an opportunity to showcase their work. Upon completion of the summer institute the participants presented their completed projects to the public. "Some of these readings have seen overflowing crowds. I see this as the greatest testimony to the value of the program," said Weiss. 

Another collaborative project between Holy Cross and the Worcester Public School system has been created through the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Concern for the growing diverse population in the schools has prompted involvement in the Voices of Diversity in American Literature program, part of the pilot Teachers as Scholars project. Bertram D. Ashe, an assistant professor of English and director of African-American Studies at Holy Cross, uses the book The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty as a teaching tool in his segment of the project. "We talk about the book and its plot as well as identification, cultural hybridity and multiculturalism in the classroom. My main concern is to get a good, solid, intellectually sound conversation among people who want the stimulation of their peers." Ashe feels that teachers deserve "a kind of intellectual engagement among themselves and to do so in a college setting." Unfortunately, most teachers do not have that opportunity. According to Ashe, offering this type of all-day, intense literary refresher, helps to remind teachers of the reasons they entered the profession in the first place. 

The mix of personalities provided a perfect discussion arena for the teachers and an "extremely challenging pedagogical experience" for Ashe. The blend of men, women, white, black and Caribbean teachers became a successful experiment in multiculturalism. "Basically, what emerged was an exercise in diversity," he said. 

Sociology Professor Carolyn Howe, director of the Women's Studies Program and active in Latin American Studies, agrees with Ashe that there is a great need for this type of program. Her required text, Always Running: Living La Vida Loca, relates the story of  Luis J. Rodriguez, a former Los Angeles gang member who was involved with alcohol and drugs. His experiences in what he perceived as a world hostile to Latinos provided a focal point for the group. "The discussions were an awakening for some of the teachers. One Latino teacher related incidents of being followed in a store when she is not dressed up," said Howe. "Unfortunately, the Worcester Public School system does not have a large diverse teacher population. The white teachers appreciated that their Latino and African-American colleagues spoke up about their personal experiences here in Worcester. They did not understand the discrimination and fear that minority teachers can feel." 

In addition to identifying and understanding the problems that minorities endure, the program allowed the teachers to pursue an intellectual endeavor, explained David Lizotte, director of the Teacher Certificate Program at Holy Cross. "This project is looking at the intellectual property of teachers. They don't usually have this kind of opportunity. The Woodrow Wilson project takes the teacher and attempts to develop his or her personal interests and provide some fulfillment," said Lizotte. 

Holy Cross has formed a strong relationship with the Worcester Public School system over the years. There exists a strong commitment to serve both its teachers and students and, ultimately, the community at large. "With the growing numbers of minority students in the Worcester Public Schools, it is important that cultures, other than Western male, get talked about," said Weiss. "Both of these programs are about reaching into the community and collaborating for the betterment of teachers, students, the College, and the city." 

Phyllis Hanlon is a free-lance journalist from Charlton, Mass.