Why I Teach Writing: My Journey From Garage Classroom to Writing Coach

Where My Journey Began

A teaching award hangs above my desk in my office. I earned it during second grade. I do not remember exactly why I received a teaching award at that age, but my mother once told me that I spent summers gathering neighborhood children in our garage, which I had carefully arranged as a classroom. Friends sat in neat little rows made up of an odd assortment of chairs, boxes, and stools. I shared books I had borrowed from the local library, we practiced handwriting and spelling, and we drew pictures of great adventures not yet traveled. I spent warm summer days teaching my friends in the coolness of that garage.

I do not remember ever declaring that I wanted to be a teacher. It simply happened.

I was the first of twenty-eight grandchildren to graduate from college, but it took me some time to begin that journey. I spent the first nine years of my education in a Montessori school, where students were encouraged to follow curiosity and make choices about their learning with the guidance of thoughtful educators. When it was time to attend high school, a Montessori option was no longer available. I went from skipping to school with excitement to skipping school whenever I could, except for my music classes. In classrooms shaped by a predetermined curriculum, I became a stubborn and reluctant student. I struggled to understand why I was being asked to learn things I had already explored through curiosity. Learning became an exercise in persistence rather than discovery, yet I graduated with my class, though not at the top.

Finding My Way Back to Learning

After high school, college was not on my radar. I had already started a small design business and wanted to see where creativity and hard work might take me. In many ways, I returned to learning on my own terms. Through creative work and travel, I experienced new places, cultures, and possibilities. I worked in fashion and theater, traveling widely as I searched for my voice and direction in the world.

Eventually, I felt the desire for a more grounded path and began thinking about education again. I found a program that reminded me of the curiosity-driven learning I had loved in Montessori school. I began writing scholarship essays and gathering what resources I could to enroll in a program in education. Once there, I felt an immediate sense of belonging. I was surrounded by inspired educators and engaged learners. I attended every class with enthusiasm. Study felt like play again, and I began connecting my past experiences with the future I hoped to build.

Mostly, I learned that knowledge opens doors and that education can be emancipating.

Discovering My Voice Through Writing

I discovered that I was a good writer in college, but the truth is that I had always been writing.

As a child, I wrote letters to my great-aunt Bee. Years later, when she passed away, those letters were returned to me. She had carefully saved every one of them inside a Singer Featherweight sewing machine she had kept for me. Seeing those letters again felt like meeting my younger self.

I was also what many people now call a glass child, the oldest sister of a disabled brother. Much of my time at home was spent trying to be the “good child,” quiet and responsible, while my parents focused their attention where it was most needed. I often escaped into books about faraway places, different cultures, and adventurous lives beyond my own.

And I wrote.

• I wrote letters to Aunt Bee.

• I wrote letters to my childhood dog, Daisy.

• I filled pages of diaries with the small and large thoughts that shaped my world.

Letters are far more than communication. Here is how they can strengthen grades and relationships. Words matter.

My first diary was a small white book with a gold Girl Scout trefoil on the cover and a tiny gold lock. I hid the key inside a miniature hope chest tucked into a pink-and-white dollhouse my father built for me. I still have that dollhouse today.

Long before I understood the power of writing, I had already discovered what it could do. Writing gave me a quiet place to think, imagine, and make sense of the world around me.

Years later, in college classrooms, I would realize that the habit of writing I had carried since childhood was more than a pastime. It was a voice waiting to be developed.

How I Work With Students Today

Today, I work to help students recognize the many ways learning can unfold and the power of honoring their own journeys, wherever those journeys may lead.

Many of the students I work with are navigating complicated relationships with school, writing, or their own abilities. Some feel stuck. Others feel pressure to perform or believe they have nothing meaningful to say. My goal is to help them rediscover curiosity, confidence, and the power of their own voice.

Through writing coaching, college essay guidance, and expressive writing practices, I help students learn how to think on paper, reflect on their experiences, and tell their stories with clarity and authenticity. When students begin to trust their own voice, writing becomes something very different. It becomes a way to understand themselves and to communicate who they truly are.

That transformation is why I teach.

Who I Work Best With

I work with students who are thoughtful, curious, and ready to grow as writers, even if they do not yet see that in themselves.

Many of the students and families who find their way to my coaching are looking for something a little different from traditional tutoring. They are looking for a thoughtful guide who will help students think deeply, find their voice, and approach writing with confidence.

I often work best with students who:

• Feel stuck or overwhelmed when facing writing assignments

• Have strong ideas but struggle to organize them clearly

• Are preparing for college application essays and want their writing to stand out as authentic

• Learn best through conversation, curiosity, and thoughtful feedback rather than rigid formulas

I also work closely with homeschool students and independent learners who want writing support that respects their curiosity and individual learning paths.

My goal is not simply to produce a stronger essay. My goal is to help students become more confident thinkers and communicators who understand how to use writing as a tool for learning, reflection, and opportunity.

If this sounds like the kind of support your student is looking for, I would be happy to talk with you about your goals.

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