Many of the students who enroll in our classes start out the session with big doubts. They doubt they will ever like what comes out of their pencils, that they will ever want anyone else to hear what they’ve written and that they will ever, ever like writing.
We’re happy to say that we specialize in converting reluctant writers into enthusiastic ones. When parents contact us wondering if their kid, the one who runs away screaming whenever he has to write, will survive our class, we can point to our impressive track record of converts and encourage them to sign up and see what happens. We promise we’ll refund them their money if their child is miserable and in 8 years we’ve never had to make good on that promise!
How do we do it?
- It’s our philosophy that when their imaginations are engaged, kids are more enthusiastic about learning.
- It’s our belief that every child deserves to be heard and at the beginning of each session we tell them that. Once they’re convinced we mean it, they take us up on our offer and dive into creating stories and poems, trying new techniques, learning new terms and sharing what they’ve learned and written with the rest of the class.
- Writing is a bold, creative act. It’s fun and there are no wrong answers. Kids are inherently imaginative creatures and with a little encouragement and guidance, they can tap into a well-spring of ideas in no time!
Even kids who cannot sit down long enough to write a paragraph, or are English language learners can feel successful in our classes. We encourage them to tell us their stories verbally and we write them down. Just seeing their words on the paper works wonders for their self-esteem.
If there’s a young (would-be) writer in your life who’s dead set against doing writing assignments and complains they can’t think of anything to write, don’t give up on them! Hiding beneath her negative attitude and recalcitrance is an expressive, original voice that with a little coaxing will come roaring out!
-Sondra HallFounder and Director, "Take My Word For It!"
