From Lil Wayne to Robert Frost, UAB program transforms students, teachers
Posted Mar 04 2011 1:04pm
Not long ago, verses by rappers Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane were at the center of 14-year-old Kem Murauko’s fascination. Today, he still likes to get his rap fix, but poet Robert Frost is now among the list of lyricists he likes.
“I like the way he uses imagery,” Murauko said of the author of “The Road Not Taken” and many other poems. “I relate to him.”
What caused the transformation? The UAB Red Mountain Writing Project , a program that promotes literacy development through teacher training, student camps and community activities. When Murauko, a Riverchase Middle School student, found out his mom was sending him to the writing camp last June he wasn’t thrilled. But soon, he loved it and discovered the writer within.
On March 5, teachers for grades 4-12 can learn to better engage students like Kem and others during the RMWP 21st Century Literacies Conference . The theme is “Awakening Words with Wisdom: Strengthening Reluctant Readers and Writers,” and will feature Alfred Tatum and Penny Kittle in UAB’s Heritage Hall, 1401 University Blvd.
Tatum, author of Reading for Their Life and Reading and Writing for Resiliency, advocates literacy as a means to escape violence and poverty. He grew up in the Chicago projects and found refuge in writing. He will share tips on how to engage students, in particular African-American boys, and help them fall in love with language.
Murauko entered the writing program as a typical teen boy, quiet and reserved, said Tonya Perry, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB School of Education and director of the RMWP. By the end of the 4-week program, he was a leader and even created his own blog, “ The Writer’s Tower,” where he posts poetry and stories.
“I got warmed up to it,” Murauko said of the camp. “Writing has done a lot for me.”
“Kem is a remarkable student,” Perry said. “He is no longer reserved about what he has to say. He now realizes that he has a space and a place and a voice.”
Registration for Saturday’s conference is $65, $30 for UAB students. For more information, call 205-934-7896.
Not long ago, verses by rappers Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane were at the center of 14-year-old Kem Murauko’s fascination. Today, he still likes to get his rap fix, but poet Robert Frost is now among the list of lyricists he likes.