New Jersey's Eighth Graders Are Tops

I guess this means they can cut the writer's room-- remember: #2 tries harder.

Well, in a town of journalists, what do you expect?

And frankly the writer's room ought to be cut off from BOE funding. That program consists of a bunch of self-important and arrogant amateurs who know neither how to teach nor how to write. It should either operate at no cost to the town or not at all.

I'd watch the careless use of the term "journalists," walleroo. You've never read "New Grub Street" by George Gissing? It's an almost heartbreaking look at those who dare call themselves journalists.

Perhaps you could insert an anti-journalism plank in your mayoral write-in platform?

Walleroo - I don't think it's fair to describe those involved with the writers room as "self important and arrogant amateurs". What do you base this on? As someone who was involved with the program I can say that there are a number of very talented, dedicated people involved - both volunteers and paid staff. That being said, I think the program has problems and has never really lived up to its potential - most of teachers really don't get it or buy into it and it's not utilized properly. However its seems to have a popular following among parents and somehow has managed to survive threatened budget cuts in the past.

If one were to design a writing program in Montclair, where about half the staff of the New York Times lives as well as those of many other national publications, wouldn't it make sense to tap this resource--namely, the legions of writers and editors who live among us? Oh no, the Writer's Room is designed to keep these people out. How? By requiring every instructor to take a six-week course on how to teach writing to kids, taught no doubt by people who can't write. I know of few professionals of any stripe who have the patience required to sit through such instruction.

This has been corroborated by several teachers who have had the Writer's Room volunteers imposed on their classrooms, and by the idiot remarks of WR instructors relayed to me by my children.

Here's another corroborating example: You're an instructor yourself, and yet you say the Writer's Room (or is it the Writers Room or the Writers' Room, and do you even know the difference?) is not "utilized" properly. And you want to teach my kids to write? Good Lord.

No prizes for guessing why the teachers don't buy into it.

As a frustrated former volunteer, I can appreciate Walleroo's disdain for the program. I am not a writer (nor do I portray one on t.v.) so I can't claim to have imparted any truly priceless nuggets of linguistic genius. Frankly, some of those high school kids could write better than I can! With those kids, I tried to ask a relevant question about their piece that might trigger their thinking about how to improve it. My main reason for being there was to help the kids who really needed it to think about what they could do to improve. No need to read between the lines - I'll just say that ebonics is a language spoken in Montclair.

Reading my post over again, it seems unduly harsh, especially towards mtcmom, for which I apologize. (This isn't a valid excuse, but it was late at night, I was up working and my grumpiness quotient was probably a bit high.)