Occasionally we get calls from parents of older children who are just starting out with IEW. They are worried that their students are starting too late for it to really work well. Alayna Mitchell would certainly disagree. Homeschooled from the beginning, Alayna did not begin IEW writing until she entered eleventh grade. Enjoy reading her success story, and be encouraged! It’s never too late to begin!
Alayna grew up with six brothers and two sisters in Janesville, Wisconsin. She came to IEW later than some students, but that didn’t stop her from succeeding. Upon learning that her mom had signed her up for Student Writing Intensive Level C* in eleventh grade, Alayna at first “dreaded the class because [she] was bad at grammar and hated most writing.” It only took a few weeks, though, and her “view of writing completely flipped around!” She found that the way IEW teaches grammar “made total sense, and my teacher was so encouraging. It was then my passion for writing was born.” Alayna continued to experience success with IEW in her twelfth grade year by completing Student Intensive Continuation Course Level C*.
After graduating high school, Alayna entered the University of Wisconsin, Rock County, a local community college. When she completes her associate’s degree, she is looking forward to entering the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater to earn her bachelor’s degree. Planning on majoring in business marketing with a minor in either Spanish or English, Alayna asserts “IEW gave me a love of writing, so even if I don’t minor in English, I am writing novels as a hobby.”
When asked what her favorite part of IEW is, Alayna shared, “I loved it when we wrote stories for our assignments, but my favorite part was my teacher. I had Mrs. White[1] for both of my classes, and she is the best!” Describing how well IEW prepared her for college, she confided, “I haven't had to fear writing any papers. I got to skip a level of English and even then didn't learn really anything new in the college English class. IEW had already covered it all!”
Not only has IEW prepared Alayna to be successful in her college writing coursework, but it also prepared her for public speaking. “It has helped me with my speech class. I can write up well-thought-out outlines and then give my speeches more fluently and confidently.” She knows that her experience with IEW will keep paying off, too. “I plan to continue writing novels as my hobby, and my degree in business marketing will require the writing and communication skills that IEW has given me.”
So, what one piece of advice would Alayna like to share with everyone? “I would say start sooner with the IEW classes, and don't dread them. IEW makes writing easy.” While that’s certainly true, we can see that Alayna’s experience positively shows that it’s never too late to begin with IEW. Her two years of writing education continues to bless her as she maneuvers through her college coursework.
Alayna, thank you for sharing your IEW experiences with our readers. We are so glad you have found it to be a great way to learn writing and grammar and wish you all the best as you continue your education.
*The Student Writing Intensive series was discontinued in November 2019 and replaced by the new Structure and Style for Students program.
- Pamela White, author of IEW’s popular Fix It! Grammar series.
