Our fall semester has been an unquestioned success thanks to our newest group of Butler mentors enrolled in the Writing In The Schools course. Not only have they helped us spark the creativity of Shortridge students during our Exclusive Ink sessions, but they have proved their dedication to making a difference by spending additional time before the end of the school day tutoring a select group of students who are still hoping to pass their ECAs (End of Course Assessments).

They’ve also provided us with some feedback worth sharing.

Katie O’Neill: Yesterday was a great day for writing with the students I had. B– really clicked with the exercise, participated in lively discussion, and wrote two poems. My other student was always involved with the exercise, although I noticed, with some eavesdropping, he was having some girl issues. His phone kept going off. He would be distracted, but he would always come back to the work. He was obviously stressed, and I think the exercise gave him a little escape from the drama in between texts. If writing does anything, it gives you personal therapy and a chance to vent. For a lot of the students at Shortridge, this might be the only place where they can do this, which is a great service in itself.

Whitney Willhite: I had a really great day today! I worked with C– and T–, and they were both really focused on their writing. C– is a really amazing writer, and he actually ended up helping me write a poem. I think it made him feel good that I asked for his opinion. After that I worked with J– on his Chemistry homework, and it was really rewarding to see everything come together in his head. He was really happy that he finally figured it out. Overall, I was really pleased. I feel like I am already forming personal relationships with the students after just a few times and that is definitely the most rewarding part for me.