Blog

A genuine interest in writing is a powerful motivator for continuous improvement.

In today's classrooms, many students are left without the individual guidance they need to master the subjective thinking skills for writing.

With class sizes growing larger and larger, teachers often can only provide rubrics that outline what to write rather than teaching students how to write effectively.

Artificial intelligence (AI) leading to the end of the world is a prevalent theme in pop culture. In the movies, it seems like such a far-fetched idea, but in reality, we may be closer to an AI reckoning than we think. Today’s AI isn’t going to ruin us by crashing a meteor into the earth or killing everyone like they do in the movies. Instead, it is slowly invading our education system and harming our youth’s skills. If left unchecked, AI can and will harm the abilities of future generations.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought online learning to the forefront of educational discussions and research. Some students found great success with online learning and others struggled. However, many parents and students have found that, even if they prefer in-person daily learning, online supplemental education courses provide students with a broader selection of learning opportunities. Primarily, there are three types of online courses that are available: pre-recorded, private, and small group lessons. Although I have had the privilege of being either a student or teacher for each of these categories and hope to shed insight based on my experiences, I can say that the small group lessons are most beneficial to both students and teachers.

Poetry is often tainted by memories of school assignments focused on dissecting poems for figures of speech, word choice, and meaning. The over-analysis of a poem doesn’t do much to spark joy for the reader. As a result of this over-analysis, many children and adults are missing out on the beauty and wonder of words that can be discovered through reading poems. Poems are often looked upon by teachers and students as another standard to be mastered in the classroom when, instead, they should be seen as a feast for the senses, a path to deeper understanding about a topic, and a way to experience life through a different lens.

Similar to learning a to play a musical instrument, writing is a skill that needs to be practiced on a regular basis. However, children often struggle to see how writing skills apply to their life outside of school and, therefore, do not see a long-term benefit to becoming a good writer. It is up to teachers and parents to find ways to apply writing skills outside of the classroom. This week's blog investigates one way that writing can be practiced through a real-world application.

Early on in my teaching career, I realized the need for regular writing practice for many of my students, regardless of what grade level I was teaching. When essay assignments were given, I could clearly see that the foundations of writing were missing. Students struggled not only with sentence structure, word choices, and knowledge of basic grammar but also finding the confidence to start writing. Unfortunately, district curriculum requirements forced me to focus on other subjects with little time in my teaching day to focus on writing. The curriculum was lacking in the schools and the grade levels I taught. This week's blog details how Writing Symphony has grwon from my dining room table to the international company it is today.

November is National Novel Writing Month, and, for budding authors across the country, that means participating in NaNoWriMo, which is a yearly challenge to write an entire novel (50,000+ words) in the month of November. Though it may seem like an insurmountable challenge, following the steps in this week's blog will help you get started on the path to success!

Have you ever thought about all of the careers that rely on engaging, high-quality writing skills to succeed? Real Estate Agents must be confident, competent, and courageous writers in order to create listings that appeal to potential buyers. Read this week's blog to find out how writing skills are applied in real estate and how they might be applied in your career.

Want to experience a Writing Symphony class before registering? Have questions about our curriculum, classroom, and the student experience? The best way to have your questions about Writing Symphony's courses answered is to attend a Trial Class! Read this week's blog to learn more about why you should take a Trial Class with Writing Symphony's founder.

Balanced Literacy is a curriculum approach that allows students to grow in speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills throughout each lesson. Writing Symphony uses a Balanced LIteracy curriculum for all courses so students have opportunities to grow in all aspects of literacy and communication.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we look at learning environments and how students learn. Did it change the way we help our children find the right study environment for themselves?