Experience = Growth
2/8/2018
There is something magical about being flung somewhere unfamiliar. Questions arise; awareness heightens; bonds form. Complacency falls away. Last week, the 8th graders attended the North Shore Young Writers Conference which was held outside of Boston in the little town of Beverly. Sleep deprived and young, these 8th graders joined the high school aged conference with trepidation. Anxieties gave way to focus and learning as, before long, each one made new friends and gained confidence. Bitter cold rain and snow fell outside as students wrote stories and poems in the old Coolidge farmhouse - now administration and classrooms of the Waring School. Published authors of short stories, novels, and poetry mentored students with tips and supportive discussion. At the end of the conference, students read their work aloud to an enthusiastic audience. Students stayed with a few generous families from the Waring School - each having their own unique experience. To cap the trip, students traveled to the big city to explore the ease of public transportation and many of the shops and sights unknown to Alaska. Upon return these students now find that they have more questions, greater curiosity in ways they hadn’t thought of before, and have formed stronger bonds among themselves. Engagement reigns. Read below for some of the students' thoughts about the conference. Our teacher, Tom, taught us how to play with plots and how (to decide how) short or long a story should actually be. ...not every story has to be intricate and detailed with pages of words. Sometimes, a short story can get the point across effectively. Also, I learned how to come up with plots, simple and complicated. My peers and my mentor helped me to look at my writing differently. - Debra
I really liked the workshop. It taught me loads on poems, which I didn’t have that much...exposure to. Because of this, it was like swimming in the deep end for the first time. ...the poem class I was in was very eye opening because of all the tiny facets that everyone was writing from. - William I really liked getting to know the authors through what they wrote. I also learned that there are many different types of writing, and each style of writing can mean a different thing. There are pieces you should read aloud to a crowd, others to yourself, and in your head. - Paris Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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