Pam Childers

In this interview, Pamela Childers, former Director of the Caldwell Writing Center at the McCallie Schools, is interviewed by Michael Pemberton, Emeritus Professor of English and past Director of the Writing Center at Georgia Southern University. The interview was conducted June 20, 2025.

About Pam Childers

Pam Childers has dedicated five decades to secondary and postsecondary educators and students to develop WAC programs. In a New Jersey public school, she launched an innovative history-English four-year team-teaching program for at-risk students, directed a WAC-based writing center, taught English and writing, and founded the creative writing curriculum for a state-designated Performing Arts School. Her national involvement began with her co-leadership of an NCTE two-day workshop to introduce secondary teachers to WAC. As Caldwell Chair of Composition at the McCallie School in Tennessee, she initiated a second WAC-based writing center program, team-taught a senior science seminar for over a decade, and started an independent study program. She also consulted with secondary and post-secondary schools after serving as president of the National Writing Centers Association (now IWCA).

Childers has presented workshops and keynotes at the IWAC, CCCC, IWCA, European Association for Teaching Academic Writing (EATAW), European Writing Centers Association (EWCA) and other regional, national and international conferences. Her works include her dissertation, Creating a Model WAC Program for Secondary School Teachers, books (WAC Clearinghouse), chapters, articles, and columns. Her work has often been co-authored with students, cross-disciplinary scholars, and colleagues at all academic levels. For over a decade she also served as Executive Editor of The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas for Middle & High School Teachers. She has received the IWCA Scholarship Award, Muriel Harris IWCA Outstanding Service Award, and AWAC Distinguished Fellows Award. Through her work on WAC in secondary schools, WAC-based writing centers, and WAC partnerships, Dr. Childers continues to influence educators internationally.

Credits

Video Production: Mike Palmquist and Zakery R. Muñoz

Closed Caption Editing: Camaryn Wheeler

Additional credits are provided at the end of the video.