 |
|
|
Home | Search | Site Index | Site Map | Directories | |
|
|||
 |
Lorraine Merrill Executive Director, Power of the Pen A former high school English teacher, Lorraine Merrill sought to create an avenue for creative self-expression by young writers, so in 1986, she established Power of the Pen. Today, it is recognized nationally as a model for cultivating young writers. A graduate of The College of Wooster where she majored in English and minored in speech, Merrill's first experience in education was as a teacher at Norwayne High School. From there, she went on to teach at several other schools, including Sycamore High School in Cincinnati and Nordonia Middle School in Northfield. She also taught in Washington, Pa., and was a columnist for the Washington Observer-Reporter. In addition, Merrill created a Cleveland Radio Reading Service for the blind and a national read-a-thon program for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, which still thrives today. In 1988, Merrill was awarded a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship by the United State Department of Education, which enabled her to make Power of the Pen a statewide program.  Past Q&A's
|
Ohio's Power of the Pen, the nation's only established interscholastic writing program for students at the middle school level, will hold its state championship later this week at The College of Wooster. Lorraine Merrill, founder of the program and a former teacher at Norwayne High School as well as a graduate of The College of Wooster, assesses the current state of writing among young people in Ohio. Q. In general, how well have school districts managed to cultivate young writers? A. To a large extent, I think schools have been spinning their wheels when it comes to cultivating young writers. Many schools have underestimated the skills and imagination of our children and instead saddled them with tedious and unchallenging exercises rather than encouraging them to explore their creative potential. Even sadder is the pressure put on teachers to focus their lesson plans on preparation for proficiency tests when that class time could be used to present more stimulating and thought-provoking material. I think the value of Power of the Pen is that it fills a void in this area. Q. What advice do you have for teaching students how to write? A. First of all, you have to get students excited about reading and writing. As a teacher, I knew I was on the right track when my students finally stopped falling asleep in class. When you tell students they have to do something, it is awfully hard to get them motivated. But when you show them how wonderfully powerful reading and writing can be in bringing them in touch with themselves and the world in which they live, then you have turned the corner. If we give them an opportunity to write about issues that are important to them, they will quickly learn that writing is not about sentences and paragraphs but rather about self-discovery. Q. What are some of the more important qualities of gifted writers? A. Gifted writers possess many attributes, not the least of which are creativity, ingenuity, imagination, and honesty. Other factors that set young writers apart are courage and the willingness to take risks and write about sensitive or painful issues in their lives. It's also important that writers are able to ignite the readers' interest and make them really want to listen and appreciate what you have to say. The writer must decide how to create something that will be memorable for the reader. Q. How can schools simultaneously meet the needs of gifted writers and those who need more remedial instruction? A. I am a proponent of treating grammar as a science. I believe in identifying and targeting students who need additional help with grammar skills and separating them from those who show promise as writers. If we force students to study rules of grammar and parts of speech over and over again, we risk alienating both the remedial and gifted writers. In Power of the Pen, we make the assumption that these skills are reasonably well developed. At the same time, we don't want a preoccupation with the rules of grammar to inhibit the creativity of the writer. Q. What advice do you have for students hoping to improve their writing skills? A. Reading is the most essential ingredient to successful writing, and I believe that we need a more robust list of required reading for our students. Another thing we have learned from Power of the Pen is that the more we challenge our students, the more likely they are to push themselves and improve their writing skills. Q. How does Power of the Pen help in this process? A. Power of the Pen helps students discover that language has all types of dimensions in life. We place a heavy emphasis on syntax, or the melody of words. We also encourage students to develop style and voice in their writing. Perhaps the greatest strength of Power of the Pen is the opportunity it provides for students to open up about themselves and about life. One former participant described the process as "putting your soul on paper," and indeed we have seen students address such issues as divorce, depression, diversity, and discrimination with incredible candor and honesty. Q. What does the future hold for Power of the Pen? A. We anticipate growth in both directions. The original target was middle-school students because we believed that age was the most critical in developing young writers. Since that time, high school students who participated in Power of the Pen have been begging for a program at their level, and we have been looking at several options, including an online writer's marathon. At the same time, we are hearing from fifth and sixth grade students and teachers, which has caused us to consider a Power of the Pencil program that would nurture talent at an even younger age. |
|
|
|
|
|
Last Updated: |
