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A
writer is likely to have a different kind of work history; a list of
book, magazine, and other publishing credits. We read a selection of
these books, stories, and articles to see if the writer’s style and
technique is compatible with our teaching.
If we are still interested in the writer or editor after this review, we
invite him or her to visit us for personal interviews. And, if all goes
well, we begin the 12-month program of closely monitored training that
is given to every new instructor, no matter how impressive his or her
credentials may be. Each instructor must learn how to teach to our
standards. We have promises to keep, and we can keep them only with
qualified instructors-as well as qualified students.
What makes an instructor “top-notch”?
The Institute has
gathered together the largest number of highly qualified writers and
editors of literature for children and teenagers in the world. No
school, workshop, college, or university can begin to approach the
number and quality of our instructors.
In total, they have
written and edited well over 26,000 books, stories, and articles, and
their work has won virtually every award, prize, and honor the field of
juvenile literature has to offer. They have been published by, or have
done editorial work for, nearly every publisher in the field, and many
instructors have also been successful in other fields of writing.
Yet, excellent
qualifications along with intensive training by the Institute in
one-on-one instruction do not automatically create a top-notch
instructor. A top-notch instructor has all of the qualifications of
successful professional experience in addition to our careful training,
along with another vital ingredient: caring. Our instructors
care about their students.
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They care about their
hopes and fears.
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They care about their
aspirations.
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They care about their
frustrations, their discouragements, their rejections, and their
ultimate triumphs.
Caring makes the
difference between a good instructor and a top-notch instructor.
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