For Ava, whose ideal day involves playing video games, working on monthly engineering projects, or attending weekly gatherings in the woods with other homeschooled students, taking a writing class with a group of younger kids brought on mixed feelings. On one hand, the kids were easygoing and welcoming, but on the other, being the oldest student reminded her of all the “standards” she needed to meet.

She initially struggled to find the exact words to describe the thoughts and stories inside her head, but she now credits what she learned about the elements of an essay — a thesis and three points — for giving her a framework to organize her writing. She tells us that Sentence Center class is the first time she ever put her stories to the page, and we are so glad she did!

In five short months, Ava’s portfolio has blossomed with excellent pieces of written work, including an essay in defense of bears, a love letter to San Francisco, a personal account of Splash Mountain that became a metaphor for letting go, and countless beautifully crafted sentences and stories that portray the depth of her wisdom and compassion for the world.

Her spelling and grammar have improved greatly as well, but when asked about the most important skills she has learned from Sentence Center, Ava highlighted the confidence she gained from reading her work out loud each week. For us at Sentence Center, this is the best definition of a success story: when a student sees their awesomeness reflected in their diligently written work. As a result, they gain the confidence to write and fight for the people, places, and animals they love, as Ava so bravely does.