WordWise
Instruction
I offer distance education courses for groups and individuals, within the safety and comfort of students' homes. My teaching style is flexible, positive, and rigorous. With one-on-one instruction via email, students learn how to write and read with greater attention and adeptness, while developing analytical skills that enable them to be critical about their own writing and others'.
This is a great way to fill the gaps of public school language arts programs, to engage home-schooled students, to weather these unpredictable times -- to encourage both the budding and reluctant writer.
Writing Courses
June 17-July 26
Creative Writing Sampler
his fun, summer cours, will encourage students to explore their creativity in a variety of genres (fiction, poetry, drama, comedy, song, and visual/written hybrid). Emphasis will be on experimentation and discovery. We'll meet online once a week (TBD) to workshop latest endeavors. Geared for students ages 12-17.
FLASH FRENZY
Flash fiction is a story distilled to its essence, a work of a page or two. In this 6-week course, we will read the works of modern authors who explore and push the boundaries of language, in order to create our own distilled stories. We'll meet online once a week (TBD).
Art of the Essay
This 6-week course helps students find their own voice and to master the means of expression. Assignments include readings, responses, and writing exercises. Students will receive extensive feedback to help them identify areas of growth, and will have the opportunity of sharing their work online.
*Especially helpful for college applications.
Literature Courses
June 17-July 26
Sherlock Holmes
Join us for an exploration of mystery and logic, the two most delightful features of a Sherlock Holmes tale. In this six-week class, we will read 6 of Doyle’s most engaging tales for fun and furthering; we'll dabble in logic, and we'll delve into the mystique of one of our most endearing detectives! Weekly meeting (TBD).
SCI-FI Adventures
Fasten your seatbelts for a wild ride to discover works of futuristic worlds, visionary scientific discoveries, and explorations of the intersections between humans, aliens, and technology. We’ll explore 6 short, science fiction stories to grok who we are and who we might become. Weekly discussion TBD.
The World Alive
In this 6-week whirlwind tour, we'll focus on the short fiction of authors from around the world, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nadine Gordimer,and Guy de Maupassant, discovering through the eyes of such writers the wonders and conflicts of this world of ours. We'll meet weekly to discuss the works (TBD).
Private Instruction
After consulting with you about your child's needs and interests,
I can create an individualized course addressing those needs, geared to
his/her/their own reading/writing level.
I am happy to mix genres, approaches, authors...you name it.
I'm open to feedback -- I encourage it -- adapting the course as we go along.
These individualized courses offer the greatest flexibility in scheduling.
Make Your Own Course
I am happy to customize content and approach to cover exactly what your children want to learn, with three students or more. Want a mix of fiction and poetry? Want to hone research skills, while also allowing for the creativity of personal essays? Anything goes!
RATES
All payments through Venmo (Amanda-Yskamp)
Summer courses run 6 weeks and cost $250. If you'd like to create your own group course with a specific curriculum, that's possible too, with a group of 3 or more students. Contact me for details.
Editing/Coaching: I offer intensive coaching via telephone and/or editing of individual pieces $60/hr regular, $70/hr rush/specific deadline (usually 24 hours).
Customized Courses: Designed to address your child's particular needs and interests, a full customized course is comprised of 10 lessons/assignments for which I charge $450. Individual lessons are $55 each,
I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. With a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and a M.A. in English from New York University, I’ve spent the last 20 years teaching a variety of courses in literature and writing, through the Center of Talent Development at Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and now, through my online classroom.
As a creative writer, I’ve had success in composing and publishing in various genres and media, and am able to teach writing from the inside out.
I live in Northern California, am a mother of two young adults, and feel privileged to be able to dedicate my time to teaching. I now offer customized courses and group classes in a range of subjects.
My teaching style is flexible, positive, and demanding. I hope to foster in students a love of literature, confidence in self-expression, and skills for critical thinking.