Teaching the Terrified Tongue (Part LIV)

In 1986 New York City schools struggled with the responsibility of educating neglected students. They were those whose intellectual, emotional, and physical responses were not readily understood. Special educators, advocates, parents, community agencies (in some instances acting as loco parentis), social workers, psychologists, educational evaluators, teachers and school administrators sought to effect comprehensive instructional plans through which to reach all students.

At that time the Waterways Project began began a small press program with the Office of Alternative High Schools and Programs, which was then located at the Bayard Rustin High for the Humanities on West 18th Street. We were told by our friends at the District 2 COH that Marcia Shelton, the Deputy Assistant Superintendent for Alternative High Schools and Programs, was at the cutting edge of educational reform. She found space within the schools for creative and innovative projects. Working with her, Bob Diario promoted the arts in schools and programs while maintaining a strong belief in the talents of alternative school students.



Marcia introduced Waterways to the principal of Offsite Educational Services, the largest alternative program. Richard Organisciak, a former English major and guidance counselor believed in the importance of expressive writing in the schools. When we began the project, it was hoped that Waterways would act as catalyst to inspire sites to print their own student literary magazines. Richard Coar, OES’s special education administrator, helped Waterways address student Individual Education Plans. Marcia Klein, an administrator overseeing OES’s curriculum, purchased poetry books to use as texts, held creative writing contests, and tutored students in poetry. Together we motivated the OES students to write.

I began visiting ten OES sites at least once a week. Each site produced its own magazine. Barbara printed 100 magazines per site on our leased photocopier. We collated and bound each issue by hand. In the spring I selected work from each of the sites to appear in the Streams anthology. The writing streaming from isolated sites throughout the city would come together and reflect the many student moods of the era. Over time Streams presented writing by students in gifted program in traditional high schools together with the writing by students with traumatic injuries in hospital settings. We chose not to identify the student by site, and let their writings speak for themselves.