What is the story behind
THE WRITE SYSTEM?
Long ago, a young girl was unknowingly thrust into an advanced English course her senior year of high school. Certain this placement was a mistake; she immediately sought the high school counselors assistance to be placed in a more appropriate class for a “C” student. That young girl was I, Jill Dockins.
I had never seriously applied myself into my studies. Throughout my young reading and language experiences, I was always placed in the remedial groups. However, I excelled in math and art. As a result, I put more effort into tuning those skills rather than focusing on my ‘weak’ academic areas of reading and language arts. Moreover, my parents did not expect me to get “A’s” and “B’s” in school either. “There is nothing wrong with a ‘C’. I had many average grades when I attended law school,” my father announced my fifth grade year. So, at the very least and sometimes the very most, I performed at the unimpressive average level.
Therefore, I did not have the self-confidence or the self-esteem to envision myself ever passing such an unimaginable level, Advanced English.
“I’m sorry, there are no other classes available. You will just have to do your best.” consoled my counselor. Shocked and terrified, I slowly walked to the Advanced English classroom. I remember mentally telling myself I would just have to try to earn a “C”. That meant doing something I never had to do in Language Arts, work and study. What I learned that semester changed my life; I could express myself through writing in a way that others could now easily understand my message. A few years later, I took a creative writing class in college that equally made an indelible impression to fine-tune my writing skills. Finally, I was armed with the tools to succeed. I believe the result of these two exemplary instructors and my personal struggles with Language Arts made me uniquely aware of how I, and most people, learned to write. These experiences inspired THE WRITE SYSTEM.
Can I just purchase one section of THE WRITE SYSTEM?
Yes. Both THE WRITE FORMAT and THE WRITE LESSONS can be ‘stand alone’ programs. For instance, you do not need to purchase both for you to witness student gains. We suggest purchasing THE WRITE FORMAT to ensure your students have the foundation to build on your own grammar, revision and writing lessons. THE WRITE FORMAT is a simple yet effective organizational system your students will remember to apply to any prompt.
What if I homeschool or I want to attend a course through THE WRITE SYSTEM? We also offer an online tutoring course. Whether you are seeking professional development with ready to use materials to immediately use in your own classroom or if you or your child is homeschooled, homebound or studying abroad, we can accommodate your needs through an online tutoring class.
Is THE WRITE SYSTEM too challenging for my students? Not at all. I am currently an Elementary English Language Learners (ELL) instructor in Clarksville, TN. My husband and co-writer is also a teacher. Together, we have both taught these lessons with English as a Second Language (ESL, ELL, ESOL) students and Special Education students in both elementary and secondary classes. We found THE WRITE SYSTEM drastically improved all our students’ writing scores regardless of background. With THE WRITE SYSTEM, all students have the tools to succeed.
What about my advanced level students? Remember, this program was inspired by my Honors English and College level courses so it will challenge all writers. Within THE WRITE LESSONS, many lessons usher students into college-level writing.
When and why did you create THE WRITE SYSTEM? The summer of 2013 was the official beginning. Both my husband and I have always (since 1994) taught various components of this program. In 2012 we both began teaching in a brand new school. My husband and I encouraged our 5th grade team to implement THE WRITE FORMAT after we noticed our students were struggling with another teacher’s “tic-tac-toe” method. In late October, we dedicated 5 weeks of 45min lessons, our students excelled. This year (February 1, 2013) was our first year administering the Common Core writing assessment in Tennessee to our 5th grade students. My husband’s fifth grade inclusion class can proudly claim one of the highest scores in the district. I attended several Common Core trainings in May 2013. During one of the trainings an academic consultant pointed out that many secondary teachers including her did not feel confident in writing themselves much less teach writing. This one statement along with the overwhelming success of our 5th grade students this year, motivated me to create the program with easy-to-follow lessons and material available to others. We created THE WRITE SYSTEM directly from our classroom lessons and expanded the lessons to reflect the full scope of how-to-write in systematic direct approach in a student-centered class. Lessons are sheltered with all students in mind, especially English Language Learners and Special Education. Now, we do not have to re-create or search for our lesson plans or materials every year; it is all bundled into THE WRITE SYSTEM.