- Is this curriculum going to work?
- Have I chosen something my kids and I will both love?
- Is this one going to last?
Ever ask yourself any of these questions? If so, you’re not alone.
Longtime WriteShop user Jolanthe was nervous about teaching writing in her homeschool. “I have an English background,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean that I’m necessarily entirely competent.”
April, mother to multiple struggling learners, looked at and tried several different programs only to find them “too cumbersome” and “more than [her] kids were able to use at the time.”
These are real concerns that often lead to hesitation when it comes to trying a writing curriculum. But there are loads of moms who have used WriteShop from elementary to high school—and know it to be a successful program for their homeschoolers.
Here’s the proof!
1. WriteShop is there for the long haul.
A mom of three, Tammy has been using WriteShop for about 13 years. She proudly wears the badge of “Test Subject,” having participated in several WriteShop Primary and Junior test groups when the lessons were still in their beta phase.
WriteShop Is Engaging
Tammy found the lessons were just as effective in their infancy as they are today. “I am amazed at the progress my son made in such a short time. His ability to put his thoughts together in an organized way improved dramatically. The lessons were simple enough that they built his confidence, yet challenging enough that he was always learning something new.”
Like many boys, Tammy’s youngest child did not like writing. It was a bit difficult getting him to sit down and write. However, she fondly remembers how much her son loved the game-oriented pre-writing activities from WriteShop Primary that finally got him excited about writing.
Because of rewarding moments like these, parents like Tammy return to WriteShop year after year, even through high school.
WriteShop Is Consistent
April’s “favorite thing about WriteShop is that it’s the same all the way through,” from elementary to high school levels. Because there’s consistency from one level to the next, even the hardest concepts become easy to learn. Parents don’t have to stress about messing their kids up, and kids get to experience what it’s like to actually love learning. It’s a win-win!
WriteShop Is Versatile
April remembers a time when her girls were younger and using WriteShop Primary A and B. Because her oldest was always on the go, she says, “We would throw our WriteShop books in our writing tub with markers and paper and all the fun things … grab a table at the park or at a restaurant or something nearby and sit down to do WriteShop.
“We would just pull everything out and have fun with our writing and our stories,” no matter the time or place.
2. WriteShop prepares students for college and beyond.
WriteShop works! There’s no need to change curriculum because it will carry you from kindergarten to high school and fully prepare your teens for college writing.
Because it’s such a successful program, moms like April, Tammy, and Jolanthe have used WriteShop for over a decade. All three of these homeschool moms have taught every level of WriteShop from elementary grades to middle and high school, nurturing their kids to love writing while wowing other students and college professors.
WriteShop Students Impress Their College Professors
We really love Tammy’s story about her daughter’s experience in college. Nervous about being the only homeschooler in a sea of public school students, Tammy’s daughter earned an amazing compliment from her professor when he said, “Whatever you did, however you learned writing, I wish that every kid could learn that way.” Learning how to write with WriteShop proved effective. Because her papers were stellar, she hardly needed any feedback to correct her work.
WriteShop Students Gain the Trust of Their College Peers
After using WriteShop I and II in early high school, Jolanthe’s daughter took a community college writing class during her junior and senior years of high school. Jolanthe laughs that Laurianna was her college classmates’ go-to when they needed help with their papers.
Jolanthe affirms that the principles and skills her teens gained writing essays in high school “made them who they are as writers in college. I strongly, strongly believe in WriteShop I & II and … how the program works.”
For these moms, WriteShop became their reliable GPS of writing curriculum. The materials helped them teach in a way that produced confident, adept writers who entered college well prepared. With WriteShop, you can teach your teens with confidence, too!
3. WriteShop is perfect for teaching co-op classes.
You know you’ve got a good curriculum when you’re encouraged to use it with your homeschool co-op. Tammy taught WriteShop for the very first time in a co-op class. “It was so incredibly user-friendly and laid out so well that we didn’t struggle,” she recalls.
A longtime literature teacher in homeschool co-ops, Jolanthe raves about how easy it was to apply many of the fundamentals her own kids learned in WriteShop I and II. When teaching classes to teens who had not used the curriculum, Jolanthe drew from her WriteShop experiences to introduce new concepts and help her lit students become better writers.
4. WriteShop boosts confidence in parents and kids.
One of the major concerns homeschool moms face is having confidence in the curriculum you choose.
Tammy, Jolanthe, and April (and many others) agree that WriteShop serves well in helping them prepare their children for the next writing concept, the next academic grade, and the next level of education. You can trust WriteShop from step one all the way through high school.
“Whether they’re young kids developing those creative writing skills or … older kids building skills that will help them write their papers in college, they’ve learned the process of developing their ideas through brainstorming and … writing a rough draft,” explains April. She loves how the WriteShop schedule gives everyone the “time and the ability to edit their [writing] so their final draft is a really nice, polished piece of work they can be proud of.”
When you walk your kids through these phases and watch them glow from excitement, it impacts you, too! Not only does your child naturally develop an affinity for writing, but you’ll find yourself loving to teach it.
Having inspired successful writers for 20 years, WriteShop can help you too! Whether you’re teaching WriteShop to elementary ages or to middle and high school students, you’ll have the tools at your disposal to inspire success in your own homeschool.
Just like Tammy, Jolanthe, and April, other homeschool moms often circle back to us via email. They love sharing how their now-adult children thrived with WriteShop I & II in high school. Even more, they successfully carried those skills over into college writing.
Start writing your family’s personal WriteShop story today!
Begin by taking this 30-second curriculum placement quiz.
