As an educator and mother of two, MJ Gleichman brings over 30 years of experience developing curriculum and teaching students to think, write, and speak critically. MJ holds a Masters's degree in Curriculum and Instruction; she has dedicated her career to helping students of all backgrounds and abilities become effective, articulate communicators.
While homeschooling her own children, MJ discovered that the most challenging and time-intensive subject to teach was writing. She researched a variety of curriculum options and was surprised by the lack of high-quality, engaging writing programs - especially those designed for the reluctant writer.
Recognizing this gap, MJ began to offer writing classes using a proven systematic methodology. Her students saw such clear improvements that their teachers began commenting on the superior quality of their work. Many improved their grades in English Language Arts by 1-2 levels. The word spread quickly and within one year, MJ’s writing program grew to over 150 students. Today, MJ’s classes are highly sought out by both parents and students themselves.
Because of this success, MJ has partnered with an elite team of educational experts with more than 90 years of combined experience in education to help her realize her dream to bring her engaging, unique curriculum to as many students as possible through Writing Symphony.
As an educator and mother of two, MJ Gleichman brings more than 30 years of experience developing curriculum and teaching students to think, write, and speak critically. MJ holds a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction; she has dedicated her career to helping students of all backgrounds and abilities become effective, articulate communicators.
While homeschooling her own children, MJ discovered that the most challenging and time-intensive subject to teach was writing. She researched a variety of curriculum options and was surprised by the lack of high-quality, engaging writing programs - especially those designed for the reluctant writer.
Recognizing this gap, MJ began to offer writing classes using the systematic, practice-based Structure and Style® method from the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Her students saw such clear improvements that their teachers began commenting on the superior quality of their work. Many improved their grades in English Language Arts by 1-2 levels. The word spread quickly and within one year, MJ’s writing program grew to over 150 students. Today, MJ’s classes are highly sought out by both parents and students themselves.
Because of this success, MJ has partnered with an elite team of educational experts with more than 90 years of combined experience in education to help her realize her dream to bring her engaging, unique curriculum to as many students as possible through Writing Symphony.
To be a truly well-rounded communicator, public speaking is key. That is why Writing Symphony has teamed up with Ms. Page, founder of The Olson Method, a unique, engaging, memory-based course in public speaking. Page is a Distinguished Toastmaster, with a background in professions that required clear, compassionate, impromptu communication with people of all ages.
As a homeschool parent of two children who had quite different oral communication styles, Page discovered that speaking the same language was not enough to ensure great oral communication. Specifically, challenges in communicating with her daughter started Page, over 15 years ago, on a path to understand oral communication differences that challenge people’s ability to understand each other.
The first success Page had was discovering the power of storytelling. This led to other discoveries and deeper understandings of the spoken language. Since joining Toastmaster’s in 2016, Page has become a highly sought-after mentor and instructor, for both adults and children over the age of 11, in the art of public speaking. In 2016, she was named one of America’s Premier Experts. Page co-authored, with Brian Tracy, an Amazon best-selling book, in 3 categories, titled: “Success Manifesto”. Page is also honored to be listed as one of the 2017 top 100 Authority persons in Influence Magazine. Today, Page shares what she has learned as a dynamic, inspiring, story-telling speaker and author by partnering with Writing Symphony to realize her dream of bringing her unique and engaging online public speaking program to as many students as possible.
To be a truly well-rounded communicator, public speaking is key. That is why Writing Symphony has teamed up with Ms. Page, founder of The Olson Method, a unique, engaging, memory-based course in public speaking. Page is a Distinguished Toastmaster, with a background in professions that required clear, compassionate, impromptu communication with people of all ages.
As a homeschool parent of two children who had quite different oral communication styles, Page discovered that speaking the same language was not enough to ensure great oral communication. Specifically, challenges in communicating with her daughter started Page, over 15 years ago, on a path to understand oral communication differences that challenge people’s ability to understand each other.
The first success Page had was discovering the power of storytelling. This led to other discoveries and deeper understandings of the spoken language. Since joining Toastmaster’s in 2016, Page has become a highly sought-after mentor and instructor, for both adults and children over the age of 11, in the art of public speaking. In 2016, she was named one of America’s Premier Experts. Page co-authored, with Brian Tracy, an Amazon best-selling book, in 3 categories, titled: “Success Manifesto”. Page is also honored to be listed as one of the 2017 top 100 Authority persons in Influence Magazine. Today, Page shares what she has learned as a dynamic, inspiring, story-telling speaker and author by partnering with Writing Symphony to realize her dream of bringing her unique and engaging online public speaking program to as many students as possible.
The T.W.S.R. Methodology was developed around the following core beliefs.
We always welcome parents to sit on our classes. We believe that families are a critical part of the learning process and strive to communicate regularly on student progress. Parents work with the teacher to create a supportive and enjoyable learning environment.
The early years are crucial for developing mental processes and writing mechanics. Listening and reading books or articles should begin from a young age. We believe formal writing courses should begin in grades 1 or 2, but it is never too late to begin.
Students acquire new words after hearing them spoken hundreds of times by others. Listening to and reading every day is critical to developing strong communication skills. We recommend listening to or reading from diverse genres, from non-fiction articles to classical literature and poetry so that the student is regularly exposed to quality writing and understands the different purposes written texts serve in our day-to-day lives.
Constant repetition is essential in learning to play an instrument. Similarly, our approach emphasizes regular practice and repetition so that students do not simply memorize a word or grammar rule and then discard it. Instead, they integrate the concept into their cumulative repertoire, gradually using it in new and more sophisticated ways.
As with language acquisition, the student’s effort to learn writing should be met with sincere praise and encouragement. Each student learns at his or her own pace, building on small steps so that each learning milestone can be mastered. Students are also encouraged to support each other’s efforts, fostering a community of generosity and cooperation.
Students participate in regular group lessons during which they learn from and are motivated by each other. Our small classes allow instructors to give personalized lessons and give regular feedback to parents and students.
We believe that written assignments enhance student knowledge about the subjects learned in class. With each assignment, students practice new Writing Variations, structural models, and vocabulary. Teachers deliver timely feedback through Real-Time Editing at the beginning of each class session. This provides each student with detailed commentary on how the student can improve on future assignments.
Students learn to read after their ability talk has been well established. In the same way, students should develop basic technical competence in their writing mechanics before being taught to write the traditional 5-paragraph essay and other longer written reports.
