CONNECTIONS THAT BUILD YOU UP

Thanks so, so, so much for taking a few minutes to read our newsletter. With endless information coming at you, I’m grateful you’re here with me for a few minutes.

Existing in community is not an option, yet we feel slammed and pressed from every angle with expectations from the communities we exist within. Is that true for you? Here at The Write Journey our desire is to partner with you to take just a little bit of the pressure that you are experiencing and help you do one or more of the following:

• Get rid of it (because you don’t need it)

• Process it (because it feels confusing)

• Enjoy it (because life is about our journeys)

• Master it (because occasionally some things are worth it)

When it comes to parenting, we wrestle to know which of those responses is appropriate at any given time. If you are a part of a community that gives you the freedom to choose any of the above options, you are blessed. Pour into that community. If you don’t have that type of community, I’m so glad you’re here. Through connections with TWJ, I trust you will find direction, support, information, and freedom to make the choices that work best for you and your children.

Education sits right at the top of the list of most important parental responsibilities. It’s easy to feel alone and overwhelmed. That’s why we are doing what we do: teaching you and your children to be great thinkers, communicators, and writers. These skills often bring success, so we – like you – value them. With TWJ community, you and your children won’t be alone on your journey to becoming great writers. We’re grateful that your educational journey includes connecting with us in community.

Speaking life, Kris

NEW LITERATURE GUIDE COMING SOON!

In the TWJ classes, our experienced instructors follow the same principles laid out in the new Blending Literature With Writing Guide written by Kris Cordell. Kris and her staff have successfully used these tried and true principles for nearly twenty years in classes. The amazing fact is, this guide does not take years to study and put into practice. Parents and families may apply the guide’s methods immediately in their homes. Here are some of the practices we utilize in classes at The Write Journey.

Our instructors:

• select award winning literature or classics

• read the entire novel to identify the theme/s

• work to develop critical thinking skills in students

• foster healthy discussion and discourse

• ask MANY “how” and “why” questions in class discussions

• develop writing prompts from the story

• pace the novel reading slowly

• have students study the text instead of hurrying to “find out what happens”

• assign vocabulary words from the text

• identify and teach the literary devices found in the novel

• create enrichment type projects from the contents of the novel

When our instructors blend this type of literary study with the writing process taught in our Foundations in Writing Handbook, the entire subject of Language Arts is covered. Students learn to love literature, and through discussion, find meaningful ideas to express in writing. We encourage you to explore fun ways to make the most of reading a great novel with your children.

Click here to explore our new Literature Guide!

WELCOME MARY! WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT YOU?

Mary is our newest team member, and yet already I ask, “What would we do without you?” Like it or not, we live in a world that depends on social media for connection, information, and direction. So that’s what Mary does for us: she connects, informs, and directs us.

Mary lives in sunny Southern California (although it hasn’t been so sunny this year), and she has her degree in communications. Mary loves writing and teaching writing, so we look forward to getting her into our virtual classrooms this fall. But for now, she is providing a much needed boost to our social media platforms. Already she is doing a truly amazing job!

From my very first conversation with Mary, she was drawn to TWJ due to our unique philosophy and priorities. For this reason, she loves passionately sharing TWJ business with our friends on social media platforms . . . always communicating our values along with the opportunities that you have to partner with us. Thank you Mary for jumping on board and letting The Write Journey become a part of your life journey. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!

HISTORICAL FICTION & BIOGRAPHIES

Historical settings and past events open up the class discussions to new and wonderful ideas. For instance, our middle school classes are studying Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. In the first discussion about the novel, the family is moving from one town back to Salem, Massachusetts. The students were asked to consider the differences for a family move back then compared to a family move today. The topic allowed students to think about the tremendous amount of work involved in moving, and most believed it was much more difficult in the late 1700’s. However, there were good points about the challenges in finding a new home in modern times!

Some of our classes are reading novels set in the Puritan culture. Some are studying remarkable individuals, including Benjamin Franklin and Amos Fortune. And some students are visiting the bygone era of the earliest settlers that made their homes in the wilds with the indigenous people around them. With rich settings and times, we want to help our students connect to the facts that, most likely, our lives look completely different. Instructors take the time to help their classes consider the many ways the daily life of the characters required planning, hard work, and hope. It is this focus that we encourage all of The Write Journey community to explore this month. We hope families help their students “walk a mile in their shoes” to grow in understanding, appreciation, and perspective.

Here are some questions to ask your students, whether they attend our classes, or if you are teaching the subject at home:

• What did [character’s name] do on a typical day?

• How did a family get their food?

• Where did clothing come from in this story?

• What steps would a person have to take to build a house or building?

• How were the laws and rules different back in the story’s time?

• What was school like in this story?

• Do the people in the story care about the same things that you care about today?

• Name a couple things about daily life that you believe were very challenging from the story.

Try asking these questions and others like them to explore the rich history from any story’s setting! This will open up wonderful discussions for everyone involved. This often helps students LOVE learning even more.

WE'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO READ TOGETHER

How many of us take time to learn from each other? I don’t know about you, but oftentimes I find my hours and minutes so filled with my thoughts, feelings, needs, and experiences that I neglect to engage with others. That means entering into their world and considering their struggles alongside their happiness. Not only can we enter into our friend’s and family’s lives, but we can enter into the lives of characters in books! As a community, we have learned much by living life alongside the characters in stories we read.

I admit, I oftentimes struggle to read for “pleasure” or “entertainment”, but when I do, I find so many benefits:

• I engage my imagination

• I learn about new places and experiences

• I consider new ideas

• I solve different problems (or I am reminded that I CAN’T solve all problems)

• I meet new people

• I consider life from other perspectives

• I recognize universal truths about life

• I find more gratitude

• I think

• I relax

Oh that we all would put down . . . you name it . . . the phone, the TV controls, the car keys, even the dishes and the vacuum . . . and relax with a great book! Just for a couple hours each week. Perhaps you already do this, and you need some affirmation. Entering into your characters’ world for a couple hours each week feeds your soul. Or perhaps you, like me, struggle to find the time and make reading for pleasure a priority in your life. Now is as good a time as any to make a choice to make pleasure reading a priority.

It’s often helpful to work together, afterall, that’s what “community” is all about. I would love to hear from you if you’re interested in a TWJ book club for adults - just reading a book together and meeting a couple times to discuss it. I’m always up for doing life “together”. Together we bring accountability and depth of insight. So send me a message (krisspeakslife@gmail.com), and we’ll make a plan to enjoy reading “in community”. Or perhaps you’re already in a book club. I’d love to hear from you too.

Let’s hop on our TWJ Facebook group and encourage each other.

Speaking life, Kris