Hello There! I’m Kristen.
I love writing. From essays, to stories, to writing the words on this website, to poetry... I love it all. Language, nuances, sounds, idioms, hyperboles, information - these things that make up our communication are what I consider a beautiful gift from God that we get to share and explore with our friends, families, co-workers, and communities.
I also love to TEACH writing! I have a passion for sharing all the things I know about this amazing craft with young students. I enjoy proving to students that writing does not have to be mysterious and hard to figure out. There are patterns and when you see the patterns, assignments like essays and reading responses become much easier.
And the pure beauty and power of the written word is something I want the youth of today to know and understand. Our words and the way we craft a phrase or a sentence, can heal the hearts of the broken in spirit or be a tool for social change. It can be an outlet for anxiety and an expression of joy.
What a gift it is.
ABOUT ME
My Journey Here
I started my career in education as a middle school teacher over 20 years ago. I noticed and began to really delve into the struggles that students faced with responding to, what seemed to me, simple writing assignments such as a 1-paragraph reading response or a 2-page English essay. Why did they continually struggle? Why weren’t they “getting it?”
Through interactions with students and having conversations with parents, I realized some things. Then, I started to change the way I taught, big time. After that, my kids rocked it with writing. These are the things I realized:
01
What appears to be a simple writing prompt to the teacher may not be so simple. Students need practice breaking down the prompt.
02
Sometimes what the teacher is asking for is actually not clear. Students feel tripped up trying to step in their teacher’s mind and figure out… “What exactly is my teacher looking for in my answer?”
03
Students learn better when the teacher demonstrates with a lot of modeling. The teacher becomes like a student and models how to write an assignment. Giving a student 3 essays for reference, two pages of instruction, and lengthy verbal direction doesn't help. It's better to just show them through modeling.
04
Students need an abundance of practice. As a classroom teacher, I began teaching reading fluency, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary through the writing process for months at a time.
05
Some things that seem black and white to the teacher are actually abstract to the student. For example, telling a student to “put in more supporting details” can be very difficult for a student and leave him or her feeling frustrated. Modeling what that means and practicing it repeatedly helps the student gain confidence, enhances their critical thinking skills, and better equips them to apply the skill independently.
06
Students need to know that it's perfectly acceptable and professional to ask the teacher for more explanation and help. Students often feel like this is some kind of faux pau - to approach a teacher and explain their struggle with what is being asked or understanding how to begin the assignment. This is a life-skill that adults use in the real world and students need to know that there is nothing wrong with approaching, conversing, and asking questions.
MY INVITATION
Unlock Your Student's Writing Potential
Since beginning my career in education over 20 years ago, I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and school counselor. For the past several years, I have worked as a school counselor, and it has been interesting to work with students “on the outside” of the classroom who’ve come to my office struggling with writing assignments. I work my magic, and together we get it done.