New lab provides extra support for AP students.
AP English Teacher Susan Stokley volunteers valuable time to helping students connect with the writing process. photo by Rebecca Holt
Susan Stokley gave her Advanced Placement (AP) Literature students a writing survey earlier this year, and after reading their responses she became motivated to help smooth out students’ insecurities about their writing by finding a way to encourage them to seek out help during all stages of the writing process.
“Seniors had the right concerns about their writing and I wanted to build confidence and work individually with students because not all students have the same problems with their writing,” said Stokley. While she has been teaching at TJ for five years, this is the first year that Stokley has decided to do the writing lab and serve all AP Literature students so they have a chance at reaching their full potential as writers. She also hopes to instill good habits for college and help prepare students for writing papers and essays, which will be commonplace for them in the future.
Born and raised in Michigan, Stokley grew up on the shores of Lake Superior with her family, and then later decided to move to Colorado in 1982. She worked in sales for many years until the tragic events of Columbine changed her course. “My mom was a teacher and when Columbine happened it really hit home. I felt like I could make a difference so I became a teacher,” said Stokley, who is currently getting her Masters Degree at CU Boulder in Secondary Education with an emphasis in writing.
“This lab is a great opportunity to talk to someone about writing,” Stokley said. “Individual conferencing and practice is essential for a writer to grow.” The writing lab acts like a support system for students, providing help with all areas of writing, including organizing and developing ideas, and learning effective proofreading skills. Stokley also touches on analysis, synthesis, argument, summaries, paraphrasing and MLA documentation, understanding error patterns, and research strategies. Stokley also works with students on how to write an effective thesis, introduction and conclusion.
There are also a number of resources available for students who decide to visit the lab. Stokley has a small library of grammar handbooks, citation manuals, composition readers, and books about writing theory. “Many books in the library are available for checkout. I will help students choose the best resource for their needs,” said Stokley. “I’ll edit anything: college essays, scholarship essays, and even papers for other classes,” she said.
The lab is held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during lunch, or during Excel time on Wednesdays. Appointments are set up strictly on a first come, first served basis. Sessions are held however long the students need help with their writing. “Students need to bring their work and all relevant materials and documents pertaining to the assignment. This includes assignment descriptions, class notes, and a rough drafts. The rough draft is a requirement, so we have something to work with,” said Stokely. “They should already have an idea of things they would like to focus on.”
