Writing Coaches looking for volunteers

Writing Coaches of Montana is looking for community members in Flathead County to participate in its coaching program with the mission of helping local students improve their writing skills.

The program seeks to help students think critically about their writing assignments so they can become confident and competent writers.

In August of 2020, in response to COVID-19, the Writing Coaches of Montana developed an online coaching program with the help of Cassie Sheets, Executive Director, and Stefan Olson, a technology contractor. The program meets FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) student privacy requirements and uses the Google Suite for nonprofits. Writing coaches use Google Meet to conduct online coaching sessions with students.

Rita Braun, the program’s Flathead Director, along with Sheets and Olson, ran a successful pilot of the online program with Al Hammel’s 10th graders from Whitefish High School.

Hammel said he appreciated the opportunity for his students to have human interaction and support from the community.

“I had an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from each and every one of my students about how much they valued their time with the writing coaches,” he said. “I just can't express my gratitude enough for the Writing Coaches of Montana.”

The Whitefish program is seeking people interested in learning more about the program and becoming a volunteer online writing coach. A three-hour training session on how to become a writing coach will be held online Monday, Jan. 25, 6-8:45 p.m. Following that training, writing coaches will view a 45-minute video on their own time to learn how to conduct online coaching sessions with students.

Community members interested in learning more about the program and to volunteer can contact Braun at rita@writingcoachesofmontana.org. To learn more about the program, visit writingcoachesofmontana.org.