Great writing happens at the sentence level, and best writing is done out loud.
Our Approach
Emotionally Safe
Learning is an inherently vulnerable experience that most kids will not participate in unless they feel safe. In my classroom, we work to establish trust before any lessons begin. This is done through disarming techniques as humor, check-ins, mindfulness activities, and demonstrating an overall growth mindset.
Multi-Sensory
Students move beyond the page to incorporate all five senses in their learning. We use movement, sound, texture, and scent to engage all parts of the brain in the learning process. This reinforces concepts for all learners, not just visual ones and shows students that learning is a holistic, dynamic, and exciting experience.
Structured & Explicit
Every lesson is clear with a structured scaffold that can apply to any writing assignment. Students are explicitly taught to recognize and recreate written conventions that are not commonly taught in schools. This allows them to recreate those patterns to make their own writing clear and fluid.
Gradual Load
As students begin to grow more confident in their skills we begin to advance the lessons, ensuring our students are always growing and meeting their fullest potential. We want our students to not only succeed but to thrive in the classroom. With our ever advancing instruction, we watch our students develop into deeper and more eloquent scholars.
How do sessions work?
-
To begin, I will assess your child with activities, exercises, and questions to diagnose those particular gaps in learning and the specific skills needed to support their expression.
-
With these specific gaps in mind, we create personalized lessons plans, exercises, writing prompts, and more to begin honing those skills your child needs to become a strong writer. All sessions are cumulative so that skills are continually reinforced and truly internalized.
-
We practice these skills across many contexts, through many different assignments, until your child can confidently apply them with ease. Mastery is determined through measurable data that I’ve recorded over the course of our sessions to ensure your child has full command of the skill.
-
As students master skills, we continue to build from sentence, to paragraph, to full length essay, watching your child move from a timid, unsure writer to a masterful, confident student. We continually refine our work, so that students are not only successful in the classroom but truly thriving.
More about Brenda…
I hold a masters in creative nonfiction, am a published author, certified ESL teacher, and have been teaching in schools for over a decade.
Kids are my passion. It is an absolute honor to help your child find their voice.
What Parents Are Saying
“Brenda is hands down one of the best writing instructors I've ever seen. Her ability to connect with my daughter, communicate kindly, and give simple, practical tools has done WONDERS for our daughter's learning. We would absolutely recommend Pen to Pathways to ANY parent with a struggling child.”
— Parent of 8th Grader
“Our child comes to Brenda’s sessions knowing he’s entering a safe space. He’s grown more and more confident to ask questions and we’ve watched him take risks with his writing more than ever before. We really cherish Brenda’a holistic approach but also her warmth, humor, and absolute celebration of ‘mistakes.’ Brenda takes the fear out of learning.”
— Parent of 5th Grader
“We appreciate Brenda’s deep knowledge, flexibility, and professionalism. She is a top-tier instructor, but what we value most is her compassion. Our child looks forward to the weekly sessions, knowing Brenda will delight in seeing him and give him specific, dedicated support in the upcoming school week. Thanks to Brenda, he no longer dreads school.”