Creative Writing at Ashbrook

I've considered myself a writer since I was a young child. I remember creating a series of stories called The Birnstihl Bunnies (largely derivative of The Berenstain Bears) when I was in second grade. In junior high, I drafted notebooks full of fantasy stories and dreamed of being a famous author under the pen name Kel Alexis. I took poetry and playwriting classes in college. So it should come as no surprise to me that my favorite part about my job is teaching Creative Writing.

I started teaching Creative Writing I and II at Ashbrook in spring semester of 2012. I'm hoping to continue building the program so that I can get Creative Writing III and IV added, and I would definitely like ideas and advice from anyone who teaches these upper level classes on what you do for each of the different levels.

I love teaching Creative Writing because it allows me to really get to know my students and to connect with them personally. I also feel that I have really helped them improve their writing skills and have challenged them in a variety of genres. I teach Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, and Scriptwriting in three-week units; then, I allow students to choose their own major projects to complete in the Independent Study unit. This structure has really worked for me, but I'd love to hear all of your ideas. I am happy to share my daily writing prompts and my unit plans; they are available here.

This year, I am encouraging my Creative Writing II students and members of our newly revived Creative Writing Club to participate in National Novel Writing Month. I'm going to participate, too! If any of you are doing NaNo with your students, I'd love to start a Word War with your class.

I hope that we can collaborate and share ideas throughout year. I am passionate about Creative Writing and feel that it has brought me back to life in my teaching. I'm looking forward to hearing from you and seeing your incredible ideas!

Jesse Birnstihl

Ashbrook High School