Writing Coaches of Montana seeks community members to participate in its coaching program with the mission of helping local public school students improve their writing skills. Specifically, the program seeks to help students think critically about their writing assignments so they can become confident and competent writers across disciplines.
Flexibility is built into the Writing Coaches of Montana volunteer experience. Once trained, there is no minimum hour requirement or particular coaching schedule. Instead, volunteers are informed by staff as teachers make requests and then volunteers choose which assignments, schools, and grade levels (4-12) they coach.
No experience is necessary because volunteers will learn best coaching practices while being trained by qualified individuals. To become a volunteer, community members can attend an upcoming training session on Monday, April 20th, 10:00am–12:00pm at the Missoula Public Library. To sign up for training, email admin@writingcoachesofmontana.org for information, or visit https://www.writingcoachesofmontana.org/volunteer. WCM staff will be available for follow-up questions at any time.
For individuals who cannot attend on the 20th, WCM will offer additional workshops throughout the remainder of the school year. Email Writing Coaches Executive Director, Shan Rao, at admin@writingcoachesofmontana.org for information or to get on the list for additional training sessions. To learn more about the program, community members can also visit writingcoachesofmontana.org.
Multiple Missoula-based teachers have noted a “miraculous” change in students after being coached, increasing student motivation and writing outcomes. A CS Porter Middle School student reflected, “I found it really cool how she helped me re-write some words to make it flow better, but also the main thing was she respected me as the writer and let me choose some parts I didn't want to change and she listened to all of my ideas. After I was done, all the compliments just made me feel good.”
Writing Coaches of Montana started in Missoula County in 1995 and then expanded to Flathead County in 2015 and Ravalli County in 2016.
