Knight Fellows Marci Calabretta and Jennifer McCauley are earning their master’s degrees in English from FIU while gaining hands-on work experience in the fine arts via a $150,000 2010 Knight Arts Challenge grant. This month, FIU News reports on the program. Click here to read the complete piece and read below for an excerpt…

Marci Calabretta has served as a teaching assistant and taught creative writing to juniors and seniors at Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH). Located in Miami’s Design District, DASH is renowned for its premiere programs in architecture, visual communications, fashion, entertainment, and fine art. At the end of the eight-week assistantship, Calabretta’s students and their teachers created poetry books, containing up to two dozen original works, and were displayed in the high school’s gallery.

“I went into this with the idea of ‘one student at a time,’ meaning I needed to take the time to make sure each student was engaged and involved and no one was left out,” Calabretta said. “Even the little things, like remembering their names, academic and artistic interests, and what projects they’re working on, mean a lot to the kids. I’ve never had so much fun teaching anything to anyone. It confirmed I want to be a teacher.”

Calabretta taught poetry to 11th and 12th-graders at DASH. Photo courtesy of FIU News