A Brief October Update for Busy People! 🎃
Extracurricular Writing/Research Opportunities for Students + PD Opportunities for Educators
In Summer 2023, I enthusiastically founded this newsletter and an Instagram to share insights & tips about reading, writing, and learning with friends, family, and clients. It was so fun to dream up nuggets of wisdom to share with this community.
And then…as I’m sure is the case for just about all of you…September and October hit the academic world like a speeding train, and this just-for-fun communication has taken a backseat….
As such, today’s newsletter includes just three brief updates, which are particularly focused on student & educator enrichment.
Update 1: IOC Writing & Learning is very much still in business!
In fact, I am working with such a large & diverse group of students that I barely have time to cook dinner (which I love!) let alone vacuum (which I don’t love so much……)
Update 2: My clients’ needs & goals are more diverse than expected.
I expected to primarily support students in writing admissions essays & in developing their writing & study skills to meet school expectations.
However, I’ve found that many clients are instead seeking academic enrichment. These students are already meeting or exceeding expectations in their humanities classes, and they are excited to “go deeper.” (Maybe we can call this “Russian Math for the humanities”?! 😉)
In all seriousness though, these students are truly having fun “learning for learning’s sake.” They approach our sessions with enthusiasm and passion, and I can tell that undertaking independent projects driven by their own interests fills them up.
As I work with these students, I’ve been diving deep into extracurricular writing & research opportunities for students in middle & high school. It turns out there are myriad challenges, contests, and publications to which students can submit extracurricular work. Below is the table of contents & linked PDF for a list of terrific opportunities for students seeking an extra writing and/or research challenge:
Update 3: You won’t be hearing from me again for at least 6 weeks because I’m ALSO diving deep into enrichment!
I can’t wait to report back on what I learn in four courses offered by the Landmark School’s Outreach Program. (The Landmark School is a Massachusetts independent school that specializes in supporting students with language-based learning disabilities).
Understanding Students with Dyslexia
Language-Based Learning Disabilities: Strategies for Success
Study Skills: Strategies to Support Executive Function
Executive Function: Impact on Academic Proficiency
While I already am quite proficient in executive-functioning support, I want to ensure that I am fully up-to-date on best practices, and I frankly am not very experienced with in-depth support for students who face challenges with reading, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from the experts at Landmark.
For all the educators out there, I also highly recommend Landmark’s free webinars. Check them out here!
And that’s all for now! Hang in there everyone. I’ll leave you with a cartoon that never fails to make me smile & paradoxically inspires me to embrace sweater weather and apple picking no matter how busy this season feels 😋
