Teachers and administrators are the best judge of the value of a professional development workshop.

The Write Tools workshops and coaching provide teachers with a wealth of strategies they can implement the day they return to school. The comments made after a workshop from excited and renewed teachers and administrators demonstrate their appreciation of the meaningful professional development provided by The Write Tools trainers.

What Participants Say about The Write Tools

I believe this could be a game-changer for our entire district.

Brandi Edmond

11th Grade Teacher, Ogallala, NE

I appreciate you sharing your vast knowledge with us. I can’t wait to use these strategies with my students!

Sarah Buckingham

K/1st Grade Teacher, Cedar Rapids, IA

I’ve taught 17 years, why haven’t I heard of this before? Genius!

Sarah Ohl

Teacher, Cedar Rapids, IA

Love the fact that this is so easy to implement.

Sue Gruber

Kindergarten Teacher, Petaluma, CA

I hate packaged programs, but Write Tools exceeds any preconceived misconceptions. I love its framing so that I can use it with other lessons I’ve had success with.

Sue Jordan

5th Grade Teacher, Petaluma, CA

Lots of hands on and real life examples. I learned a lot and I am excited to share with my students.

Amy Welp

4th Grade Teacher, Algona, IA

I am so thankful that I am now working at a school that provides such quality learning for teachers. I have learned skills that will help me professionally and personally.

Qiana Julian

11th/12th Grade Teacher, San Jose, CA

The workshop was beyond what I expected. Everything I learned was helpful. The way it was taught was effective, engaging and at the right pace.

Laura Ochoa

7th/8th Grade Teacher, San Jose, CA

Above and Beyond! For a first year teacher, I feel very comfortable now going in to teach writing.

Allie Exstrom

6th/7th/8th Grade Teacher, Kearney, NE

My students love their writing class now, before they didn’t. It was like pulling teeth.

Workshop Participant

1st Grade Teacher, To’Hajiilee, NM

I heard fabulous things about this program and it truly surpassed my expectations. I am excited to begin writing this year and I know my students will be too!

Natalie Chavarria

3rd Grade Teacher, Justice, IL

This was hands down the best writing workshop I’ve ever been to. I really think I learned more in 3 days than I did in some of my college courses! These methods are going to change the way I teach writing – for the better!

Kyla Bernstein

3rd Grade Teacher, Englewood, CO

Write Tools trainings have been the best I’ve ever been a part of. I leave them knowing I can apply and make sense of what I’ve learned to enhance my teaching and provide my students with great tools.

Bri Crubel

3rd Grade Teacher, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

After 30 years of teaching – this is the BEST method I’ve been trained in and used to teach writing. The improvement in the quality of student writing is amazing.

Workshop Participant

1st Grade Teacher, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

I appreciated all the practical, step-by-step explanations that together make an easy scaffolding of an optimal learning model. I had several students blurt out “That was easy!” after learning the Informative/Explanatory steps of writing a paragraph last year.

Nancy Stevenoski

4th Grade Teacher, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

This workshop exceeded my expectations – worth giving up a week of my summer! Thank you! This training makes planning my curriculum much easier.

Meredith McQuay

7th/8th Grade Teacher, Holdrege, NE

I have taken this workshop four times now, and each time I have learned something new I can take back and use in my classroom.

Nicole Schoone

5th Grade Teacher, Holdrege, NE

This was the best session that I attended! Finally, a presenter did not just list off the buzz words of best practices, but specific, concrete teaching strategies were shared. This was not just idealogy, but actual information that I can use and apply.

Session Attendee

Learning Forward Conference, 2013

I wish I could spend all day teaching writing after Write Tools training!

Nick Beach

4th/5th Grade Teacher, Cedar Rapids, IA

I absolutely love Write Tools. It is so powerful! I feel so empowered now. I appreciated the fact that the trainer has taught 1st grade and knows exactly our struggles. When can we have more, more, more?

Lisa Foley

1st Grade Teacher, Cedar Rapids, IA

In May I retire after 35 years in my district, however I had to attend a workshop today with the rest of my colleagues. I signed up for what my three younger partners suggested, packed a book to read, papers to grade, and headed off to CCSS Writing for ELA Anchor #2 at 8 am. Much to my surprise, Alice Greiner immediately grabbed our attention and held it for the remainder of the day. I took notes and literally hung on her every word as did the entire audience of educators. I plan to use some of her strategies in my second grade classroom for the rest of the year.

Kathryn Hubbard

2nd Grade Teacher, Batavia, IL

We added coaching to our training model for teaching writing last year…Your coaches spent time in our classrooms planning, teaching, and observing writing instruction. The coaching has also been well received by our teachers…Many of our teachers have said it is the most valuable professional development they have ever had.

Phyllis Vogel

Assistant Superintendent Emerita, Cupertino Union School District

The Write Tools combines research-based, classroom-proven strategies with exceptional professional development. The deliberate integration of 6 Traits Writing and the strong connections made to reading instruction give teachers the skills and strategies to differentiate instruction and close student achievement gaps in writing.

Jean Bell

Federal Projects Director, Wickenburg, AZ

My class writing assessment scores went way up last year after I began your writing planning process. Thank you!

Dori Johnson

3rd Grade Teacher, Petaluma, CA

I am totally impressed with this program. I have taught for 6 years and this is way better than anything I have used.

Suzanne Willis

1st Grade Teacher, Holbrook, AZ

I plan to begin using some of these methods and suggestions in my classes tomorrow, because they are so clearly beneficial and easy to use.

Lee Cording

High School Teacher, Deshler Public School District, Deshler, NE

I feel like I really know where I’m going with teaching writing. I feel like I have a real, practical way to teach young kiddos to write better.

Stephanie Crowe

3rd Grade Teacher, Fox Creek Elementary, Highlands Ranch, CO

You have transformed my students’ reading, writing, and note taking!

Sue Bittfield

High School Teacher, B running Davenport USD, Bruning, NE

The Write Tools is the best training SCUSD has ever offered.

Kara Broderick

1st Grade Teacher, Sacramento Unified School District, Sacramento, CA

I used everything we learned in my classroom! I have seen a major improvement in their writing in the last 6 weeks. I am a reading and writing teacher who loves learning now to better teach my students.

Julia Battiato

5th Grade Teacher, Cougar Run Elementary, Highlands Ranch, CO

I love The Write Tools workshops! Informative, organized, and inspiring! The Write Tools has given me ‘wind’ under my “teacher wings’.

Cheryl D. Skinner

1st Grade Teacher, Sacramento Unified School District, Sacramento, CA

I took the real narrative training and immediately implemented the lessons into my classroom. Our state-wide writing assessment scores soared! My students were comfortable with planners, movers, etc. and we were 99% proficient!! My principal thinks I’m a genius.

Lindsay Davis

Wood River Elementary, Wood River, NE

Even though I’ve been teaching for a long time, I learned many new ideas to make writing more meaningful for primary writers.

Marlene Kramer

Instructional Coach, White Mountain Elementary, Rock Springs, WY

The workshop brought together my other training—Heinemann “Read, Write & Talk”; 6 Traits; Bay Area Writing Project.

Cindy Marshall

Resource Teacher, St. Clement, Diocese of Oakland, Hayward, CA

We got through everything, and I was never overwhelmed or bored. The program is so cohesive and fluent!

Christina Coppola

Grade 1 teacher, James W. Marshall Elementary, Sacramento, CA

I can’t count the number of ‘ah-ha’ moments I had during this workshop. I wish I would have had this training during my teacher prep in college—it would have changed my whole philosophy!

Kaci Johnson

6th grade teacher, Ansley, NE

Our district is in program improvement, and our time is precious. The strategies I’ve learned here are very practical and I think they will help me to utilize my teaching time.

Jamie Ratti

8th grade teacher, Vacaville, CA

These strategies along with the training and coaching gave our Intensive Literacy Groups (ILG) summer school teachers the tools they needed to take the mystery out of writing. Our Migrant Education students made great strides in just 21 days using these powerful strategies. Jack O’Connell, California Department of Education’s Superintendent visited several ILG classrooms and said, ‘This model should be replicated.’

Anna Leon

Program Manager, Region VIII Migrant Ed Program, Visalia, CA

It is important for every teacher, in every school, in every classroom, across every content area, to use a common language for instruction so students can move from classroom to classroom, grade to grade, and school to school with consistent instruction. These strategies, when combined with the great staff development this group offers, prepare teachers to do just that.

Frances Doyle

Director of Curriculum Training, St. Louis Public Schools

I have twin sons in second grade in separate classrooms. Although both boys have excellent teachers, only one son has learned these strategies. He is able to quickly organize his ideas and is writing up to two pages! I am looking forward to having all my teachers trained in these strategies so all students can benefit.

Mike McClellan

Park Elementary School Principal/Parent, Holbrook, AZ

I found the information and writing tools to be very user friendly and easy to implement. My first grade students are going to love the color coding, and the sentence strips will be a great hands-on way to teach topic sentences, Big Ideas, details, and conclusions. I can’t wait to ‘pink it up’ with my kids.

Sandy Behrends

1st grade teacher, Johnson, NE

We write a lot of summaries/reports in my social studies classes and I can plug this into my curriculum in the Fall.

Brett Davis

6th grade teacher, Johnson, NE

Thank you for giving a great sequential order and plan of how to organize my writing for the year.

Annette Willis

4th grade teacher, Roseville, CA

I’ve been looking for a way to help my ELL kids and reluctant writers ‘get it’ and want to write. The Write Tools did this and more.

Jan Gibson

4th grade teacher, Modesto, CA

I think that this has been the best class I’ve taken since I started teaching ten years ago!

Robin Watson

Lowell Elementary School, Mesa, AZ

Many times Kindergarten is forgotten or barely touched on during inservices. The Write Tools do a great job including Kindergarten, giving ideas and showing samples!

Suzanne Powell

Kindergarten Teacher, Indian Wells Elementary, Holbrook, AZ

I appreciate that this supports my belief in the way writing should be taught! I loved seeing the real-life examples and pictures.

Melanie Wescott

3rd Grade Teacher, Doris Reed Elementary, Clark County, Nevada

This training has significantly changed my thought about teaching writing from scary to a feeling of comfort.

Jeff Pottratz

3rd Grade Teacher, Clark County, NV

I know I will be a better writing instructor because of this workshop.

Val McGregor

4th grade teacher, Hayward, CA

The Write Tools strategies are research based and connect to Six-Trait Writing very well. They are student friendly and have an immediate impact on students’ ability to write and plan for writing. As an experienced Six-Trait trainer and teacher of K-5 writing, I have found The Write Tools’ strategies highly useful in teaching the traits. Our students have shown improvement on our writing assessments after less than a year of using the strategies.
I would highly recommend this class to ANY classroom teacher!

Kevin Brown Strategist

Prairie Crest Elementary, Cedar Rapids, IA