SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Students who once kept quiet about their experiences with violence now have another outlet to help them while in school.
That outlet comes in the form of writing a song, a poem or a story about the effects of violence on their lives while offering up possible solutions to reduce it. It's all a part of the Do the Write Thing program, which targets middle school students.
Those in the Springfield City School District are now in their second year of the program. Students like Clayton Brim, 15, said he used to be pretty reserved and often kept his thoughts and feelings inside. When the writing competition came along, he said it changed things a lot.
“It helped me realize that I can say what I need to say, and like it’s OK the way I feel," he said.
The eighth grader submitted an essay depicting his childhood up until now.
“I’ve been shot at in front of my own house," he said. “My house has been robbed many times.” He said he's also been physically abused and has struggled with depression and anxiety.
Opening up through writing, Brim said it was therapeutic in a way. Although he's not sure if his story has actually helped someone else who may be struggling, he was just glad that he and so many others could share their stories.
Ultimately, he hopes the writing challenge will help students find solutions while being able to live a life that's no longer shrouded in fear. While sharing their stories is good, he said in order to make real change, “we need to grow awareness and get more people involved to help everyone more than ever.”
In the meantime, educators said the impact of the program on students and adults can be seen in a variety of ways. Writing has improved and the desire to write has increased as students are being asked about things they're not typically asked about.
Intervention Specialist Kaitlin Bailey said that once students share their personal stories, “it allows you a deeper insight on how the student may behave. You might know that there's something that they're dealing with outside of the classroom. So, the behavior in the classroom might be different.”
Having that understanding allows her to approach things differently. As for students, she said they now feel like they're in a safer space to share and be themselves.
“I think for Do the Write Thing, many students did choose to write who don’t choose to write and using their academic stuff they’ve already learned and actually applying it where you might not have thought that they had actually learned anything at all, but they had — they just didn’t (or) weren’t showing you before.”
Brim was one of several student finalists chosen last year to represent his school with his essay. Ultimately, two students from the district were selected to represent Ohio last year in the program's national virtual event. COVID-19 interrupted the in-person ceremony. Click here to learn more about the program.