TEAMWORK: BETTER TOGETHER

Seriously! Few holidays have deeper meaning and greater potential for good than Thanksgiving. This is the season that reminds us of the importance of choosing gratitude. As we choose gratitude, our actions follow suit: We act grateful. Imagine a world filled with grateful people. While that may feel hard to even imagine, that is exactly what I imagine for TWJ Community. We are a community that chooses to be thankful all the time. We are thankful for:

•  Friends/community

•  Books

•  Family

•  Sharing ideas

•  Encouraging words

•  Trials that help us grow

•  Art/beauty

•  Health

•  Nature

 And on, and on, and on

Of course we experience frustrations on our journey, but we do our best to remind each other to look for the blessings in each and every situation.

We are grateful that we get to partner with you on your journey to bring quality education to your children. Whether you are a homeschool family or not, we are with you; we are for you; we are grateful to support you in a variety of ways. We know a lot about teaching writing, literature, and communication in general, but we need you to teach us how to connect with you. In this crazy world of online connections, building relationships is filled with both challenges and opportunities. Would you help us find the opportunities? As parents who care about your children’s education, what are your greatest needs and how might we be able to help you, using the virtual platform?

•  Attend conventions (which ones?)

•  Create podcasts? (what topics?)

•  Hold live virtual meetings (when should they be scheduled?)

•  Create written documents to support parents (what content?)

The key to creating and supporting an active, vital community is communication. We want to hear from you whenever you have an idea that might help us serve families like yours as you educate your children.

No longer can we depend upon government run schools to do this job for us. For many reasons, the educational model that was built in the USA is no longer reliable, but that’s okay. In fact, it may be a blessing in disguise. Together we can teach our children well. Not only can we teach them about reading, writing, and arithmetic, but we can also teach them about civility, morality, honor. . . and gratitude. Together we can restore this great nation. This is a vision that requires teamwork and sacrifice at every level. As you do your part, we will do ours, and together we will travel this journey to make a difference. And we will give thanks for all the blessings (sometimes hidden) along the way.

Written by: Kris Cordell

BOOKS AND BEYOND

Last week when one of my dear friends came to visit me from the other side of the country, she brought me a cute notepad with quotes about books. These are the quotes I enjoyed the most:

•   “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” Fran Lebowitz

• “A book is a dream you hold in your hand.” Neil Gaiman

•  “A book is a device to ignite the imagination.” Alan Bennett

•  “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” Anna Quindlen

  (Do you have a favorite quote about books? If so, I’d love for you to share it with me.)

  I especially like the above quote by Alan Bennett: “A book is a device to ignite the imagination.” It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite children’s books; one that communicates an incredibly impactful message for adults too. The title of the book is What Do You Do With an Idea, by Kobi Yamada.

  “This is a story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. It’s a story for anyone, at any age, who’s ever had an idea that seemed too big, too odd, too difficult. It’s a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it space to grow, and to see what happens next.” (quote from www.live-inspired.com)

  This is a book “to ignite the imagination”. (You can even find a YouTube read-aloud.) I’ve discovered that one of my favorite phrases is, “I have an idea”. As soon as I hear those words, I’m engaged and ready to listen . . . ready to speak life into your idea. I want to encourage you to check this book out and think about what idea God has placed on your heart and in your mind. If you feel really brave, share your idea with someone else. I’d even love for you to send me a message and share your idea with me or post your idea to our Facebook or IG. Of course, it probably goes without saying that this is a book you will want to read to your children often. They too have world-changing ideas.

  Written by: Kris Cordell krisspeakslife@gmail.com

Calendar of Events for 2021-2022

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022

Classes:

NOTE: All class with a date of “Week of” indicates that the specific day of class is yet TBD. Classes will begin during the stated week, but the specific day of the week that the class will meet is still to be determined.

Aug 30-Sept 3 - All Literature-based classes begin this week. (Lit-based classes include: Pre-K/K, First Writers, Intro to Writing, Beginning Writing, Intermediate Writing, Advanced Writing, College Prep, and Adult Certification classes, plus Basic Writing Level 4)

Sept 1st Basic Writing Level 1 (4 weeks)

Oct 5th- Basic Writing Level 1 (4 weeks) Oct 6th- Basic Writing Level 2 (4 weeks)

Nov 2nd- Basic Writing Level 2: 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, no class Nov 23, 11/30
Nov 3rd- Basic Writing Level 3: 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, no class Nov 24, 12/1.
Nov 12, registration opens for spring semester
Week of Nov 15-19 Last week of Fall semester Lit-based classes (Presentation Week!)

Jan 17-21- First week of spring semester classes

Week of Feb 1-5 Basic Writing Level 1 (4 weeks)

Week of Mar 1-5 Basic Writing Level 1 (4 weeks)
Week of Mar 1-5 Basic Writing Level 2 (4 weeks)
Week of Mar 28-Apr 1 Basic Writing Level 2: (4 weeks) Week of Mar 28-Apr 1 Basic Writing Level 3: (4 weeks)

Week of April 25-29 Basic Writing Level 3: (4 weeks) Week of April 4-8 Last week of Spring classes
Week of April 11- 15 NO CLASSES Week of April 18-22 (5 weeks) Spring Break Enrichment classes begin

Week of May 16-20 Final week of enrichment classes

TEACHING WRITING WITH A PURPOSE

If you had a chance to read our newsletter from last month (August 2021- you can find it on our website in the “News” section), you learned about our vision to create a community of individuals who are serious about bringing quality language arts education to our children, youth, and adults. In a world that is sadly declining in literacy, we are working hard to make a difference by using relational teaching methods to partner with parents and educators to provide quality language arts instruction, with a focus on writing.

As we move forward with a mindset of partnership, it will be helpful for you to understand various aspects of our philosophy and values as a business, so we’ll be sharing that information throughout our newsletter each month. This month, I’d like to focus on our philosophy of striving for mastery. If I could have a friendly conversation with you, I would ask you, “What does “striving for mastery” mean to you in relation to language arts instruction?” Perhaps you’ll take a moment to think about that.

Let me help you understand what it means for TWJ business. Essentially, we have discovered what aspects of literature, verbal communication, and writing must be taught and practiced in order for students to consistently experience confidence in their educational journey. We have removed the busy work, and we focus on these essential skills. Year after year, students must learn and PRACTICE these skills over and over again to develop mastery. Concise, effective instruction, paired with long-term practice, results in mastery.

“Mastery is the attainment of a superior level of knowledge or skill in a domain. The term implies that you are knowledgeable or skilled enough to compete or collaborate with those at the top of a field.” (simplicable.com/new/mastery) This is what we desire for our children. Right?

Of course, at The Write Journey we are working towards mastery of literacy. I appreciate this definition of literacy: “Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world around us. Lacking vital literacy skills holds a person back at every stage of their life.” (literacytrust.org.uk) That is sobering. As a nation, as parents, as a business, we must identify the path to true literacy for our students. This definition shows us literacy is more than simple reading and writing; it includes listening and communicating effectively. This definition even includes “making sense of the work around us.”

At TWJ, we have spent over 17 years identifying the skills our students must master to move forward with confidence in their educational pursuits and their career fields. We even begin teaching these skills to our youngest students - our kindergarteners - and we continue teaching these same skills at much higher levels of difficulty to our most advanced students - our high school seniors. With every single student, we begin at the beginning - teaching our tried and true writing methods. Then we move forward, always working to find the balance between challenging our students, yet not burdening them to the point of discouragement and even despair.

Sadly, I have found that the majority of language arts curriculums do NOT work towards mastery. Instead, the excellent content found in much curriculum results in “familiarity”, but not “mastery”. While the content of the material may be superior, the pace at which students are required to learn the material is impossible for all but a few exceptional students. There is no time to develop mastery - only familiarity at best. If you desire to help your children achieve mastery, we’d love to partner with you on that journey. That’s what we do. We can teach your children in our live online classes, or we can even teach you - the adult - through our Adult Certification Program. Our website has more information about all of our services.

Or perhaps YOU are teaching your children the literacy skills they will need to find success in this world. We encourage you to focus on identifying the skills your children must “master”, and purpose to focus resources on those areas.

Together, we WILL raise a generation of children through mastery of language arts skills. Let’s partner together with this common goal of bringing literacy to all of our children.

Written by: Kris Cordell