Last year, one of our creative writing students – let’s call her Lily – burst into our arts studio shouting these words. She was a Grade 10 student in a local high school – smart, creative, articulate and high-flying. She proceeded to rant about her experiences in school: how she longed for an opportunity to explore Shakespeare in depth, discuss contemporary literature, write literary essays and be inspired to read more widely, think more deeply, write more skilfully. Yet nothing in Lily’s English classes was meeting her needs. Her class had started to study Shakespeare – but they did so using only a comic book version of the play. When Lily asked her teacher why they couldn’t study Shakespeare’s actual play, she was told it would be too difficult for some students to cope with. Lily told me that she had also eagerly awaited the chance to write an essay about the play they were studying, but in lieu of the detailed character study she hoped for, Lily and her classmates were asked to bring in three items that the main character might carry with them, and present to the class.
At Centauri Arts, we work with so many students like this one: teens who love to write and to read, and crave the support to do both at an advanced level. That’s one of the reasons we created our new English Enrichment Program. Sure, our English tutoring will benefit students who need to improve their grades – but equally, we hope to meet the needs of students like the one above: middle and high school kids who love literature and enjoy writing, and want to delve deeper into both.
Last year, I published a book for teachers on how to make Shakespeare exciting for students; it is now selling across North America, in England and in Australia. I love nothing more than to excite young people about literature, and to challenge them to take their writing skills to new levels. If you have a student who needs more exposure to literature and to academic writing than they are currently receiving in school, please call me to discuss their needs. Our English Enrichment Program is intended to improve grades and increase writing confidence – but we want to do more than that. We want to inspire in each of our students a love of literature, and give them all an opportunity to make their writing skills the very best they can be. Whether your child needs help with basic writing skills, or craves the opportunity to write – and read – at the university level, we can give them the confidence and knowledge to succeed.
Starting this September, Centauri Arts is offering a brand new English Enrichment and Tutoring Program. To find out more, please call us to talk about the needs of your child, and check out our website, here: https://www.centauriarts.com/academy/toronto/english-enrichment-classes-for-middle-and-high-school-students/
