REAL CONNECTION WITH REAL PEOPLE

Connecting is one of life’s most important and meaningful endeavors, and I love connecting with the parents who are participating in our Adult Training Program. While this program is in its infancy, it has been birthed, and it is growing. Do you, like me, recall the days of cradling your infant in your arms and feeling intense joy . . . and overwhelming uncertainty? In some ways, that’s how I feel about this Adult Training Program: intense joy and overwhelming uncertainty. But just like my four babies grew to be beautiful independent humans, I have complete confidence that our Adult Training Program will mature into a program that will bless many families.

I am grateful to the moms who joined me this month on zoom to chat about how the writing methods they learned through our pilot training program are blessing them and their children. Amen! That’s what matters: equipping and empowering parents to support their children as they learn how to think well and write well. As we explore many options for moving forward with this program, I know one thing: connecting with these adults will be a priority. I need to know what you need to know. In this way we work together to bring quality language arts instruction to your family and to your educational community.

Let’s connect so I can answer your questions. With convention season upon us, I plan to host several Q & A zoom sessions to give parents more than a glimpse of this program. I know you need details, so I’ll do my best to provide those details when I meet with you. You have two options in April:

•  Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. EST

• Thursday, April 14 at 4:00 p.m. EST

  (IMPORTANT: Always pay close attention to the time zone because we have families from every time zone participating in our online meetings and classes.)

  Simply send me an email (kriscordell@thewritejourney.net) to let me know you’d like to be included in one or both of the scheduled meetings. We’ll connect using zoom, so I’ll send a zoom link about 30 minutes before the meeting time. Feel free to send me your questions in advance, or simply show up and join in the conversation as it occurs. I can’t wait to see you in April!

  On journey together, Kris

STAYING CONNECTED WHILE WE WAIT

Even though our Adult Training Program is still in the midst of being created, we want to keep you in the loop. We expect this program to bring the support and quality of instruction many of you long for.

As we continue to build this program and provide explanations and opportunities via our website, feel free to contact our home office for more information, or click below on “adult training” to head over to our website to learn more. 

 When we speak with you we can make sure we provide the information that is specific to your needs. In addition, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop when we offer any new opportunities such as live Q & A sessions to share our heart, vision, and plan. Our methods are tried and true, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Contact us for more information; visit our website; or check in next month to see what new information we are ready to pass on in our next newsletter.

NEXT STEPS IN ADULT TRAINING CERTIFICATION

Having completed our pilot Foundations in Writing class for adults, we are excited to move forward with some additional modules this semester. We can’t wait to bring many excellent classes to the adults in The Write Journey community. With that in mind, we hope to offer two to four new modules this semester:

1. Creating a Learning Environment in your Home

2. Reading and Writing Instruction for Our Youngest Children

3. Multi-paragraph Writing for Older Students

4. Grammar Essentials

The prerequisite for all these modules is the Foundations in Writing class, which is our 12 week class for adults. In this class, parents learn all the foundational steps and strategies necessary for teaching writing to their entire family and community. If you are interested in taking that class, be sure to contact us. You can send us an email at info@thewritejourney.net. After you take the Foundations class, you will be eligible to take any of the modules that we will be offering.

Our vision moving forward is to train adults, so that you may instruct students. This is the way we will impact not only families, but also small and large communities, and even our culture. Together, we can make a difference. We love partnering with you.

WRITING STRATEGIES BEYOND THE PAGE

We did it! You did it! Our first Adult Training Program class was a huge success. We ALL learned so much, and we are excited for “next steps”. We’ll be offering some ongoing training modules for the adults who completed the Foundations class this semester, and we’ll be offering the Foundations class to a whole new group of adults. We hope you’ll join us. Contact our home office (916-696-1759) for more information about this opportunity.

For those who understand the writing methods that we teach, we have some suggestions as to how you might work with your students to practice these writing steps and strategies in creative ways during the holiday season:

Brainstorm creative topics:

•  What should we bake today?

•  What fun holiday movie should we watch tonight?

•  Who do you want to take a plate of goodies to?

•  Where might we take our family holiday picture this year?

•  What gift would you like to get for your dad, mom, sister, etc?

Remember brainstorming requires a thorough exploration of all possible ideas, so don’t let your children off the hook with only their first ideas.

Outlining is all about organization, so try some fun organizing opportunities:

•  Craft containers, drawers: pencils, crayons, paper, glue sticks, etc.

•  Baking ingredients: dry, wet, utensils and pans

•  Mail: holiday cards, junk mail, important mail

•  Games or game closet

•  Closets and clothes drawers, pulling out those items that can be given

  away to organizations who assist needy families

Journal:

Some of your favorite holiday experiences, sights, sounds, smells

Write stories:
Include holiday themes of giving, winter, family time together

Write poetry:
Short writing with rhythm and rhyme

Send a letter to a relative or special friend
Make sure your children use their best penmanship

Rewrite:
You get to decide how much assessing, correcting, and rewriting are beneficial during this season. You may decide that rewriting is only necessary for special projects that will be shared with others. Encourage writing and feel free to omit the work of rewriting for a short season.

I bet you can’t wait to have fun helping your children practice our writing steps and strategies in creative ways this holiday season . . . even I’m excited for you and your children. Let the fun begin.

Written by: Kris Cordell

ACP:STANDING WITH OUR PARENTS

Since we are focusing much of the content of our newsletter this month on “gratitude”, I must take this opportunity to say how very grateful we are for parents who work hard to bring quality education to their children. For many, you have found yourselves in an unexpected situation: educational director for your children. This may mean you are keeping an extra close eye on and supplementing your children’s public school education; for others this means making many sacrifices to provide a private education for your children; for others it means taking on the role of primary educator for your children. We desire to partner with all of you, regardless of your situation. We understand that each scenario requires a great deal of hard work and sacrifice from you. At The Write Journey, we value your sacrifice and your hard work, and we hope to find more ways to help equip you to fulfil your role as educational director for your children.

This desire for close partnership, which results in equipping and empowering parents, is one of the primary goals of our Adult Training Program. WE want to help YOU to do the best job possible as you teach writing and communication skills to your children. We have spent more than fifteen years creating language arts classes, with a focus on writing, for your children. Now we have a vision to train you, the adults, to teach these writing methods to your own children and the children in your co-ops and communities. As our pilot group continues learning our writing methods, we look forward to a new group of eager adult learners to join us in January when we will begin a new ATP (Adult Training Program) Foundations class. Contact our home office if you would like more information about this opportunity. (916-696-1759 or info@thewritejourney.net)

While the job of educating your children well may feel overwhelming and even oppressive at times, you are not alone. At The Write Journey, we have experienced both the burdens and the blessings of parenting with a goal of bringing the best educational experience to our children. We are grateful for the freedoms we still have to take an active role in our children’s education. We thank you for doing the hard thing . . . the right thing. We honor you, and we stand beside you.

Written by: Kris Cordell