Never before have writing courses been so popular, writes Julia Forster. Writers can now be found teaching their craft to students of all ages ? from pupils in primary schools to postgraduates in further education and at every stage in between. In recognition of the growing population of writers working in the formal education sector, the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) was founded in 1987. Its aim is to be a primary source, not only for locating writers, but also for distributing information and advice on education projects. With over 700 members, NAWE has established itself as a great resource for writers and educators to contact one another. To help writers who wish to teach to develop their portfolio of skills, NAWE has run a range of comprehensive training programmes for the past two years that includes a traineeship for working in schools.
Participants attend a series of seminars and are assisted in finding a placement in the education sector. A mentoring programme has also been on offer whereby mentees are carefully matched with a mentor able to give one-to-one attention to nurturing the mentee?s career as an educator. In all, the training programme lasts six months and by the end of the process writers will have built up the confidence they need to present themselves to potential employers as professional educators.
Mentors have a minimum of three face-to-face tutorials with their allocated mentees and keep in regular contact with them by phone and email. As one participant explained, the programme provides the freedom to ask questions, however ridiculous or obvious they seem, in the knowledge that they?ll be answered thoughtfully and honestly. Even though mentees may have formal qualifications in teaching, nothing beats being able to test lesson plans outside the classroom or the lecture theatre ? especially when a writer may be discussing a piece of their own writing with students. However, not only is it an opportunity for mentees to grow their skill set, it is also a learning process for the mentor. By being the source of reference on specialist issues such as the ever-changing literary curriculum or complex copyright issues, mentors have to make sure that they are always up to date with the latest developments in these areas. They also have to ensure that they can communicate these issues effectively to their designated mentees.
Managed mentoring can be empowering for practitioners in all disciplines of the arts. It is important, though, that a mentoring programme follows a well-structured process so that neither party feels that they are without support. The beauty of mentoring for writers is that it dissolves the feeling of isolation writers can often feel and it provides a forum for honest and constructive feedback. But perhaps most importantly, as one mentee commented, the NAWE mentoring programme offers writers the chance to share a sense of humour and a passion for what makes them tick.
Julia Forster works at a literary agency and as a freelance editorial consultant, reviewer and journalist. t: 020 7358 9628; e: juliacforster@hotmail.com