Lori Callahan just recently finished my Masterclass. Listen, in her own words, how her experience changed the manner in which she approaches writing instruction.
“I remember that it was a Saturday morning when Kristian and I Zoomed so that I could get an overview of the Masterclass. No joke, I literally balled my eyes out because I was feeling so overwhelmed and beaten down by my job.
He gave me his guarantee and promise that I’d find the joy of teaching again once I learned his templates and alternative grading methods. And guess what … he was 100% correct.
As far as my backstory, I’ve been teaching for twelve years, 9th-12th, in a Chicago suburb. My OH my how I’ve struggled to teach writing! I simply was never taught how to teach writing. I thought I was doing ok, but sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. All I know is that my students weren’t making much progress and my frustration was through the roof. I dreaded writing. I think that I’m a very good literature instructor, but the writing aspect … I struggled prior to taking Kristian’s course. That’s kind of tough to say given how long I’ve been doing this. But enough is enough. I plunged into the Masterclass.
One thing is true – our student writers need scaffolds (templates/heuristics). Left to their own devices, if writing is simply assigned and not explicitly taught, our kids are going to be all over the place.
And that’s what I saw for my first twelve years – student’s haphazard, stilted, wayward, discursive writing.
I wasn’t “Bob Ross-ing” my instruction (a staple concept of the Masterclass) and I wasn’t operating to my maximum potential due to bad practices I’d developed over my career.
During my five weeks with Kristian, I TOTALLY revised my approaches. Not only are my students writing their brain’s out, they’re making HUGE progress! I’m super impressed with them this year. All of my students (well, those that worked) really grew up this year as writers.
And lastly … holy COW to his alternative grading methods! Talk about mind blowing. The cost of the Masterclass is worth this alone. My grading load is much more doable these days. In fact, I don’t hate my life anymore 😊
And to boot, the Masterclass Library is amazing. There is so much content in there. I’ll tell you a dirty little secret if you promise not to tell anyone (shhh …!).
I haven’t made a lesson plan since I finished working with Kristian. This library is packed with goodies! It’s like having Blue Apron delivered to your front stoop.”
I really enjoy working with teachers like Lori. This is why I do what I do.
The enrollment doors are currently open for my next Masterclass which will begin June 13th. There will be two sessions that will run for five weeks: session I will be hosted from 5-6 p.m. EST; session II will go from 7-8 (Sunday evenings). I will offer more sessions on different evenings depending on interest. There will also be a Masterclass in July and August (dates TBD).
If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a discovery call, please reach out to me.
Here’s the link to the Masterclass webpage: www.teacihnghow2write.com
Happy teaching and happy writing!
Kristian
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