This past October, sophomore Karan Nevatia wrote on an english assignment that Aragon English teachers should incorporate more creative writing components into their classes. Prompted by English teacher Tiffany Wang, Nevatia started a petition for a creative writing class to start at Aragon, which gained signatures the first day it was created.
“[Stories have] inspired me to pursue a future career in creative writing, so this course will enable myself, as well as my fellow students, to learn everything about [stories],” he says.
For many writers at Aragon, the idea of a creative writing course is intriguing.
Sophomore Jamie Gin says, “Although it’s a slim possibility, I feel that creative writing will be beneficial to Aragon. In English class you don’t really get the opportunity to free write and use your imagination; creative writing allows students to really express their thoughts and ideas freely.”
“[A creative writing class] would be a great idea and a nice opportunity for students to tap into a different type of writing. It comes more from the soul and is moved to express. It’s not so formal, like an essay, but doesn’t have to be more personal as well,” English teacher Sandra Skale says.
Robynne Francis, English teacher and advisor for the Jabberwocky Literary and Art Magazine and club, agrees, saying, “It’s really an important form of expression that perpetuates the idea of freedom. You can write what you want, have the time to write what you want, and the time to write how you want it.”
Francis believes that creative writing would benefit students academically as well as creatively.
“Creative writing improves academic writing, but you have to learn the rules before you break them. With creative writing, you need to understand the syntax, and with this class, students will be more aware of their own writing and diction,” she says.
Freshman English classes include a poetry unit and a brief short story unit. However, some say there is not enough time available to expand on the writing. Francis says, “As you progress through the years, we heighten the learning but don’t spend as much time on the creative process.”
Francis raises the point about the limited amount of English electives offered at Aragon. “English doesn’t have many electives, and having this class will help students get the opportunity to have a community where they can learn more about creative writing,” she says. “For a student, creative writing gives an outlet to say what they think without the fear of rejection. Creative writing allows the writer to pick the perfect words to show what you know about life.”
While there is an interest for creative writing within the student community and support from English teachers, the Aragon administration is not aware of the petition.
Assistant principal Jim Coe says, “I haven’t heard anything about the petition, but usually if a new class wants to be started, it would have to go through me, and for creative writing, the heads of the English department as well.”
Principal Pat Kurtz elaborated on the process that would have to be undertaken for a creative writing class, saying, “We first would have to find if it exists, textbook wise, and then it would have to be reviewed by the Department of Education.”
For the 2014-2015 school year, it is not possible for creative writing to come to Aragon. “Currently, it’s too late for a creative writing class to be formed this year, due to the fact that a submission for a new class must be in before the first semester, and time is such that the three weeks remaining is not enough,” says Kurtz.
Currently, 70 Aragon students have signed the petition.
“I know that it will be impossible to bring creative writing to Aragon this year, but I’m hoping that my petition, as well as the support of the English department, will allow a creative writing course to become a reality in the future,” Nevatia says.
