Wouldn’t it be amazing if all students could practice writing every day and receive real feedback and customized instruction on their writing? At Nurturing Wisdom Academy, that’s exactly what happens.  Below, one of our writing tutors, Jessica Staum, reflects on her experience with this approach.

The classroom is silent, save for the tapping of computer keys as students bring their ideas to life. At the beginning of class, there are always a few students that may break the silence to lament their writer’s block, but at some point during our twenty-minute writing time, this dedicated silence can be counted on.

At first, I wondered how this sort of focus could happen every day. In other classrooms, I struggled to get students to produce just one quality three-paragraph essay in a month’s time, yet my students at the Academy are currently producing three to four detailed, well-edited paragraphs a week. How is that possible?

When we meet with a student to set up tutoring, we frequently present a tutoring plan, which is customized to that specific student.  This plan is an excellent communication tool to keep the student, tutor, parents, and tutoring director on the same page and guide tutoring throughout the student’s program.

In the beginning, the tutoring plan is a great jumping off point for the student and tutor because it provides basic guidelines for each session. The tutor can then customize the elements in the plan even further to meet the specific needs of that student.  As tutoring progresses, the plan acts as a reminder of what the overall objectives are and helps both the student and the tutor work toward those objectives.

At Nurturing Wisdom Academy, every student has three periods of independent study each day. This is a time for students to build skills in weaker areas and pursue their passions and interests.

In independent study, students work on assignments from other classes, individualized skill building, and projects! These projects are big (students spend an average of ten hours on them), chosen based on the student’s interest, and designed to let students explore their passions while also learning executive functioning skills.  Projects are quite varied, ranging from computer programming to building toothpick bridges to research papers!

Does your child’s feedback from teachers sound anything like this?

• Needs to provide more detail in writing.
• Work on essay structure.
• Take more organized notes!
• Should write more coherent or complex sentences.
• Must work on staying focused and engaged while reading.

We work with many students who constantly get this type of feedback, but have no idea how to implement it. That’s understandable! In a busy class with 25+ students, most students don’t get the one-on-one attention they need to become stronger readers and writers.

Elizabeth Guess is a versatile tutor with Nurturing Wisdom in Chicago. She has her B.A. in English and Spanish from DePauw University, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education. Elizabeth tutors everything from writing to Spanish, math to the ACT. Though Elizabeth is originally from rural western Kentucky, she has fallen in love with the bustling Windy City streets.

The night Crittenden County High School won the girls basketball regional championship, I had just arrived home for spring break. I walked through the back door to find my parents sitting at the kitchen table, intently listening to the announcer. His fervor was magnetic, and though I hadn’t been home but for a few minutes, I was already rapt in the game. A last second shot, and then—“Rockets win! Rockets win!” His voice was breaking, the crowd’s roar from the gym sounded through the fuzzy AM radio, and my parents and I looked to each other in silence, smiling and eyes welling with tears of pride for our tiny county school.