Story and photos developed by University Communications.

S he was trying to teach a group of seventh graders about haikus. Although she was excited about her lesson plan—they were not.

“Adaptability is one of the biggest things I’ve learned from this class,” said Aner Gendellman, a junior creative writing major from Alpharetta.

Gendellman is one of a dozen graduate and undergraduate students taking the creative writing course, “Teaching Writing in the Schools.” Throughout the academic year, they learned what it takes to be an educator by teaching 65 seventh graders from Georgia College & State University’s Early College program how to write.

That day, Gendellman knew in a heart-stopping instant her plan wasn’t working.

Thinking fast, she grabbed a rugby ball she’d brought along and moved the adolescents into a circle. When students caught the ball, they had to define literary devices like personification, similes and metaphors.

It was literally a game-changer—and the class was a success.

“I had to totally scrap my lesson plan that day and do something by the seat-of-my-pants,” Gendellman said. “This class really helped me be more comfortable with the idea that I don’t need to have everything perfectly laid out. Being a teacher can be kind of chaotic. You need to be able to adapt.”

These are the crucial moments Dr. Kerry Neville hopes her students experience and embrace.

As coordinator of the university’s Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) program and associate professor of English, Neville sees the “Teaching Writing in Schools” course as a chance to prepare young teachers, even as they mold young writers.

“My hope for our student teachers is they learn that teaching is an imperfect art,” Neville said. “There are going to be days when things feel amazing, and you're on top of your game. And there are going to be days when the universe throws a curveball, and you have to adapt.”

Students mostly take the course to ‘try on’ teaching. If they already know they want to teach, the class helps improve their skills. Graduates take it as an elective, while English majors can use the class as their senior capstone project.

A record number of students signed up for the course this year. To accommodate the increase, students co-taught seventh graders in small groups. They took turns being lead teacher and developed lessons plans for about eight writing classes in the fall and six more in the spring.

Prior to class with seventh graders—students met with professors to review what they’d teach that day. They presented various aspects of writing like building voice in poems or prose; creating rhyme in poetry; developing plot in short stories; using imagery, metaphors and similes; or making revisions.

It’s all about strategy and what it means to imagine and create. The class augmented what seventh graders learn in school—giving them an hour each week “devoted purely to imaginative writing,” Neville said.

Afterwards, student teachers came back together and rehashed what went right and wrong. They wrote about their teaching experience in journals.

Getting hands-on practice with real learners is invaluable, said Michaela Reed, a MFA graduate student from Albany. A recurring challenge, for her, had been the noise level of classes—until she realized, despite the noise, her students were still learning and improving each week.

“The unpredictability of the classroom is something very normal to me now,” Reed said. “I’ve learned over time I just had to embrace my classroom chaos.”

“I completely encourage people to be involved with this course,” she said, “because it gives you a whole different perspective. I think we go through a lot of our lives being on one side of the conversation, as students. Becoming a teacher opens your mind.”

International student Nayoung Seo from South Korea incorporated her culture into lessons. She employed things like Korean pop music and was thrilled when students responded enthusiastically.

The experience taught Seo patience. One boy liked science but not writing. Under her tutorage, he’s now eager to write down his thoughts and experiences.

“It definitely pays back, when time passes by, and they learn more skills,” Seo said.

At the end of the academic year, student teachers beam with pride as their young pupils read a favorite poem or mini-essay on stage for family and friends. Their selection is then published in a small journal, called “The Peacock’s Feather.”

It’s a moment of accomplishment for both writers and teachers.

As seventh graders develop confidence in their writing—so do student educators in their ability to teach.

“I love watching our teachers,” Neville said, “and the way they love watching their seventh graders blossom over the year. Our student teachers move from feeling anxiety and insecurity to being confident and self-assured. Their dedication to teaching creative writing is just a wonderful thing to see.”