Creative Writing, The National Curriculum and The Teachers' Point of View

During the first session we discuss:

• the impending Haydock High visit
• our Aims sheets - we review and assess our original goals
• our Personal Action Plans
• Any other business/Questions
• Dreams & Creativity

Haydock - Fran, Shirley, Jane and I will be running the session. THAT'S RIGHT! Running the session. We should be sharing between us about 15 students and running 2 sessions of 40 minutes or so. We'll be meeting Natalie, the teacher involved, in tonight's session. It's the same set-up as Hornby, 1pm start with a finish around 3:30pm. We discuss:

• taking some props along with us
• talking to the students about ourselves as writers
• having a back-up plan
• having our exercises written down in advance
• running the session right through with no breaks
  

Aims sheets - What three things did I most want to get from the course?

1. I wanted more experience of the classroom environment.
2. I wanted to broaden my collaborative working skills.
3. I wanted more experience of fostering creativity in others.

I feel I hit all three of these and got much more from the experience. I'm sure the Haydock trip will only build on these.

Personal Action Plan - This is our 'to do list' for the coming months. What we do next after the course has finished, the steps we'll take to get into this as a career. My list of actions, in no particular order is:

• Create a robust database of exercises
• Set up a website about me and what I do
• Keep submitting with the intention of publication
• Join the Tameside Arts Network, NALD and Artscape
• Contact Tameside Schools & Libraries
• Contact Emmaus Project re: working with the homeless
• Transmission Project - use it to get my writing exposed to the public as 'art', preferably at 'The Apartment'
• Contact Tameside MIND & Victim Support re: working with people as therapy
• Finish my submission for the Bruntwood Play Writing competition
• Finish my novel [longer term that one]
• Research the need for male role models in schools
• Research the funding opportunities behind supporting the attainment of young males in schools with the intention of addressing performance imbalances
  ********************
  The later session is a talk from Peter Ellison, a National Curriculum consultant as Key Stages 2 & 3. He's very good. It takes, to some extent, the form a discussion. Topics covered include:
  
• How does a teacher convey the magic behind creativity?
• Making children read like writers
• Making these processes transparent

We also watch a DVD entitled 'Assuring the attainment of white working class boys in writing' which is of interest to me. It's amazing how much emphasis there is on the ticking of boxes in the teaching of English today. There is no time it seems for experimentation, for that room that is needed where one can try things out and get things wrong as part of the learning process, which I believe it is. It shouldn't just be about getting it right and only about getting it right. They're crushing these kids with the pressure of testing from far too young an age. I know it is useful to have an awareness of the requirements of the curriculum, but, I don't feel like I should go into school as a writer to fulfil those needs. That's not what I am going in for. I want to see kids grin when they realise that they can create and amuse and upset and make characters live.

Natalie Brewer from Haydock High comes in to give us 30 minutes on the school and the kids involved and reiterates the fact that there is no time for creativity for creativity's sake, which is a damn shame in my opinion. I grab 2 minutes with her before she leaves about what the kids might like to do when we turn up. It's all a bit scary, again, but I'm sure we'll cope.