Customized, “Build-It-Yourself” Summer Workshops: Kids, Teens, Adults | W.O.R.D. Ink
Vanessa Ziff Lasdon possesses the dynamic combination of an incisive intellect and boundless passion when it comes to teaching her craft and sharing skills with her students.MaryLynn Richmond
It's obvious that Vanessa is a wordsmith: "Write. Observe. Revise. Discover...W.O.R.D."  These are the four essential ingredients for becoming a writer; two of them about the work (writing and revising) and two of them about the joy (observing and discovering.) Vanessa accomplishes it all.  Julie Larios, award-winning poet and children’s author
Ms. Ziff is always organized, resourceful, and ready for anything. She believes in a process, [...] the best of all being the Ms. Ziff approach, which makes her spectacular.Kenneth 8th Grade, Harvard Westlake
Vanessa’s methods are creative, thorough and innovative. She makes writing fun and has turned our daughter’s “like” of writing into a true “LOVE”.The Altmans
Ms. Ziff maintains a good balance of knowing when to give more help and when to insist that you rise to the challenge of the learning situation. She instills confidence, honors excellence, and respects effort.Kenneth 8th Grade, Harvard Westlake
Vanessa’s greatest ability is to help each student realize his or her own untapped potential. It’s the stuff that changes lives!Jacqueline Frohlich
I learned as much from teaching with Vanessa as any of her students under her guidance. Where so many others fall back on old tricks, Vanessa taps into her extensive experience to invent new methodologies for each and every one of her clients.Patrick Kieffer, Fifth Grade – English & History, The Packer Collegiate Institute
While we continue to be impressed by Vanessa’s many attributes, it is her high energy level, extraordinary patience, and passion for what she does that make her truly unique.Melissa and Rob Weiler
Ms. Ziff is definitely not just my teacher and tutor; she is my mentor.Lexi 7th Grade, Harvard Westlake
Vanessa transformed our son Josh from a decent writer into an excellent writer.  We wholeheartedly recommend Vanessa and her ability to draw out the best in your child’s writing ability.Jill and Larry Krutchik
Ms. Ziff always pushed me to do my best, and never let me slack off.  She introduced me to my love of writing and gave me the confidence I needed both academically and in myself.Georgia 9th Grade, The Buckley School
Vanessa is a true master of her craft. She is a blast to work with, completely trustworthy and utterly authentic. To work with Vanessa is a privilege; you just want to soak up all her talent, and bottle it up for yourself! She is an inspiration.Sarina Fierro, Head of Lower Elementary, Curtis School
Ms. Vanessa has challenged me to stretch my writing and I am excited for what I will do next.Evan, 3rd Grade
The writing skills my daughter, now excelling in ninth grade English Honors, left Vanessa’s class with continue to be an invaluable set of resources.Betsy Leva

Vanessa is an outstanding writer and a joy to work with.

Aimee Trudeau, Web Developer, Kizmato.com
Vanessa has a gift for inspiring even the most reluctant writer and her passion for writing is infectious. She is a favorite workshop leader at our Young Writers’ Conferences.Julie Moore & Rena Svetic, Young Writers’ Conference Founders
Vanessa is truly a one-of-a-kind teacher. She’s extremely organized, communicates ideas effectively, helps motivate, and has a lively, engaging teaching style that brings out the best efforts in all of her students.Howard Tager
I honestly don’t know what kind of a writer and reader I would be without the tools I learned with Ms. Ziff. She was always a very understanding, rigorous, and involved teacher, and an incredible mentor.Maddie 9th Grade, Marlborough School
I know that the many fun and challenging lessons I’ve learned from Ms. Ziff will help me achieve my goal of one day being a professional writer and filmmaker.Jaren S. 7th Grade, The Buckley School
Vanessa captured the essence of what I wanted to relay on my site without sounding trite, unlike my experience with previous writers.Martin Pugh, Musician
All of us remember teachers who inspired us to greater heights and who influenced our lives. Vanessa Ziff Lasdon has played this role in my daughters' lives.Jack Tauber, M.D.
My son learned more about writing and literary appreciation from Ms. Ziff in fifth grade than in any other year of school. I wish all teachers had Vanessa’s passion for teaching and inspiring!Kim Ford
Vanessa got my 8-year old son excited and intrigued to dig deeper into his experiences and bring his thoughts to life. Now Evan’s words dance and sing, which makes me want to dance and sing!Sally Micelotta
Ms. Ziff set the foundation for my analytical, constructive, and creative skills. Whether writing a sonnet or writing an essay, I still have her lessons in my mind.Kenneth 8th Grade, Harvard Westlake
Vanessa is high-energy smarts and charm, the kind of writer and teacher who captures and captivates readers of all ages.New York Times bestselling author, Cynthia Leitich Smith
Having an eight-year old highly gifted boy was not enough to make him put all those brilliant ideas on paper. Daniel feels constantly challenged by Vanessa and that ignites him.Liliana Benitez
What our daughter values most about her time in Vanessa's class is being inspired to become an organized writer who could convey her thoughts in a meaningful manner.Laurie and Chris Harbert
Ms. Ziff’s friendly demeanor and enthusiasm made communicating easy and learning exciting. She taught us to understand and appreciate the material, and have fun in the process.Alivia 8th Grade, Harvard Westlake
The skills Vanessa taught my son--particularly the value of revising many times […] attention to detail, and high standards—are still with Nico several years later.Liz McNicoll, Attorney, Paramount Pictures
Vanessa’s vast skills, complete dedication, and clear purpose construct a solid core for every student she teaches. Her passionate nature produces both a fun and rewarding learning experience.Michele Noble, Director, Writer, Filmmaker
Whether it’s teaching a student to become a more vivid creative writer, a more effective analytical writer, or a more selective business writer, Vanessa can do it all.Meli and Stephen Rose

New from W.O.R.D. Ink! Customized, “Build-It-Yourself” Summer Workshops for Kids, Teens & Adults

It’s an exciting and busy time for W.O.R.D. Ink. We are in the midst of expanding our company services, employee base, and client reach. Amidst the buzz, Team Ink needs to honor personal, familial, and additional career commitments. For that reason, we’ve decided to scale back our W.O.R.D. of the Week blog from weekly to biweekly posts for the time being, so that we can maintain a steady stream of useful content while simultaneously focusing on other aspects of professional and personal growth.

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W.O.R.D. of the Week blog will still focus on our 4 themes (Write, Observe, Revise, Discover), but these themes will not be designated to a particular Tuesday of each month. You will, however, see more voices on the blog from our team members, and the blog will continue as a hub of valuable, shareable content.

Up Ahead for June Posts

  • 6/18 DISCOVER post roundup of the latest and greatest mobile apps for learning and teaching to kickstart summer and to experiment with for the new school year

Get In on the Action with Build-It-Yourself Workshops & Summer Tutoring!

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Build It Yourself Workshops

Parents, when was the last time YOU took a private course on a topic that really interested you?

Our customized BIY courses could be the perfect way to keep you + your K-12 students engaged in learning, while receiving feedback that maximizes potential!

W.O.R.D. Ink’s BIY workshops are one-to-one or small-group 1-2 week courses run by our field experts and customized to fit participants’ exact interests, age and ability levels, as well as schedules. Each takes place in the comfort of your home. Workshops can run for 2-6 hours each day within a week, or on a desired schedule (ex: consecutive Saturdays or MWF over a few weeks.) Virtually every topic is on the table, artistic to academic, review to preview – you name it, and we’ll do our very best to build it for you!

Benefits of our BIY Workshops

  1. Private, affordable in-home workshops
  2. Small teacher-student ratio
  3. Unique & tailor-made enrichment experiences
  4. Great for groups of friends or siblings
  5. Customized to fit students’ exact interests, age and ability levels, K-adult
  6. Flexibly customized to fit your busy schedule

WORD-InkDoes your son/daughter need to prep for an interview? Our public speaking courses include improv techniques and relational skills that will bring the best out in your student.

WORD-InkAre applications to independent schools or colleges looming on the horizon? We’ll demystify and simplify the process for you and your kids in our personal narrative and application prep courses.

WORD-InkGot a great business idea or want to start a blog? Put your goals into action by learning strategic marketing techniques, blogging fundamentals, and graphic design basics.

WORD-InkReady to polish that story, memoir, or poetry? Let us customize a creative writing course that suits your exact needs. Manuscript consultations available!

WORD-InkNeed to learn how to write a kick-butt essay for any class? Our academic writing instructors teach the art and craft of essay writing, including research, note taking, grammar, and composition essentials.

WORD-InkWant your student to get a leg up on math or science for the new school year? Chemistry to calculus, physics to statistics, biology to arithmetic, we’ve got you covered.

WORD-InkCalling all tech addicts & creative art fans! Take artistic interests like photography, animation, and web or graphic design to the next level using cutting edge Adobe software (Flash, Photoshop, CS After Effects, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign)

Our Areas of Expertise Include…

  • Academic Reading & Writing
  • Independent School Admissions and College Readiness
  • Career Oriented & Professional Writing
  • Creative Writing for Kids, Teens and Adults
  • Public Speaking & Performance
  • Languages
  • Math & Sciences
  • Mixed Media Creative Arts
  • Test Prep
  • Technology & Design

If you are interested in building a course, please contact us for more details. Once we help you create a plan, our team of educators will get cracking on your customized curriculum.

Our most recent Spring Newsletter will provide you with a look at all we have to offer right now. (workshops, editorial services, resources, private tutoring)


Thank you for helping us spread the W.O.R.D.

on school campuses and among friends!

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Revise. Discover) biweekly!

Our Comment section is always open.
Tell us about your WRITING, OBSERVATIONS, REVISIONS, and
DISCOVERIES.
Share questions, links, a-ha moments, struggles, goals, progress, and reflections.

Spread the W.O.R.D.!

WORD-Ink

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