
We all have a story in us. My experience in writing did not start with any plans for teaching. I majored in pre-med at Auburn University and graduated with the hopes of pursuing a career in medicine. I also realized that I was not thrilled with the idea of many more years of schooling and I felt my greatest call was to be a mother. My English professor at Auburn urged me to consider being a writer, but I longed to study the sciences and while I enjoyed writing, I could not envision a career in writing. God provided a path to use my love for the sciences in pharmaceutical sales. This allowed me to devote time to a successful career and build a home for the family my husband and I both hoped for.
I always enjoyed writing. In my high school AP English class, I chose to write my senior paper on Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Not because of my penchant for Dickens but rather it was the only book on the literature list that still had a copy available at my public library. It was a long, dreary read for a teenager. I believe I made it one-third through the book and realized I still had no idea who the characters were and their purpose in the story. With deadlines looming, I relied on Cliffs Notes to see me through. At that time, each student chose their own novel and worked on their own research paper. There was little if any time to delve into a group review of selected literature. I may have scored well on that research paper but I cheated myself out of a great read. I could write well, but lacked the reason for writing.
Years later, I returned to the novel and realized the richness of character development and work that Dickens created. I hoped when I began teaching English Literature to my three children, they would have the opportunity to flesh out the great authors' works. A need arose in one of our community's homeschooling co-operatives for an English Composition/Literature course. All three of my children were nearing their high school years and I envisioned an opportunity for them to share the classics with peers through great analytical discussions - something that had been sorely missed in the rigorous challenges and limited time available to my Advanced Placement Composition classes. I accepted the challenge and began using several programs designed for co-op settings. Over the past four years, I have found that I enjoy exploring a variety of authors/writing styles/genres with these students learning to write well. Therefore, I create a new curricula for 36 weeks each year that covers essay structure/socratic discussion/précis writings amongst other excellent ideas I have gleaned from outstanding teachers dedicated to furthering the love for writing.
Each of my created courses are available for families to glean and choose what may be of interest to their students. My hope is that by sharing resources we can enrich students' learning experiences. This year (2016), I will have completed 4 years of curricula for 8th-12th graders. They are divided into 8th-10th and 10th-12th grade levels. All levels will be published here by August 5th. Authors were chosen through history who were impacted by circumstances to write words with purpose. Students who are looking for something to write about can learn many lessons from those who wanted to share a cause close to their heart. I hope this site will be a blessing to those families looking for options for their student who loves to write, hates to write, or just needs to write. I have selected lessons that have tested well in the homeschool co-op environment (once-weekly lessons) and include enough variety to keep skills growing and sharp. I hope these lessons will bless your educational journey.
I always enjoyed writing. In my high school AP English class, I chose to write my senior paper on Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Not because of my penchant for Dickens but rather it was the only book on the literature list that still had a copy available at my public library. It was a long, dreary read for a teenager. I believe I made it one-third through the book and realized I still had no idea who the characters were and their purpose in the story. With deadlines looming, I relied on Cliffs Notes to see me through. At that time, each student chose their own novel and worked on their own research paper. There was little if any time to delve into a group review of selected literature. I may have scored well on that research paper but I cheated myself out of a great read. I could write well, but lacked the reason for writing.
Years later, I returned to the novel and realized the richness of character development and work that Dickens created. I hoped when I began teaching English Literature to my three children, they would have the opportunity to flesh out the great authors' works. A need arose in one of our community's homeschooling co-operatives for an English Composition/Literature course. All three of my children were nearing their high school years and I envisioned an opportunity for them to share the classics with peers through great analytical discussions - something that had been sorely missed in the rigorous challenges and limited time available to my Advanced Placement Composition classes. I accepted the challenge and began using several programs designed for co-op settings. Over the past four years, I have found that I enjoy exploring a variety of authors/writing styles/genres with these students learning to write well. Therefore, I create a new curricula for 36 weeks each year that covers essay structure/socratic discussion/précis writings amongst other excellent ideas I have gleaned from outstanding teachers dedicated to furthering the love for writing.
Each of my created courses are available for families to glean and choose what may be of interest to their students. My hope is that by sharing resources we can enrich students' learning experiences. This year (2016), I will have completed 4 years of curricula for 8th-12th graders. They are divided into 8th-10th and 10th-12th grade levels. All levels will be published here by August 5th. Authors were chosen through history who were impacted by circumstances to write words with purpose. Students who are looking for something to write about can learn many lessons from those who wanted to share a cause close to their heart. I hope this site will be a blessing to those families looking for options for their student who loves to write, hates to write, or just needs to write. I have selected lessons that have tested well in the homeschool co-op environment (once-weekly lessons) and include enough variety to keep skills growing and sharp. I hope these lessons will bless your educational journey.