Kids Can Find Their Literary Voice with Muse Squad

A Ridgefield Mompreneur contributes to the arts scene with her 10-week, MFA-inspired program for middle schoolers. And there’s still time to join the squad!

RIDGEFIELD, CT–Let your child’s individualism shine and bring their creative side to the surface by being a part of Muse Squad’s class of 2022. This winter, there’s a fresh new way for tweens and teens to get involved in their local writing community. All are welcome!

Brittney Richardson, founder of the newly launched Muse Squad, a creative writing program for kids, plans to use mastery-based learning to instill advanced literary techniques and inspire confidence in her students.

“Mastery learning refers to a shift in responsibilities, so that a student’s success or failure is more reliant on the instruction and not necessarily the student’s ability,” according to Top Hat, an online learning platform. 

Richardson designed the course to feel more like a club, and to complement other studies. “With a stress-free atmosphere and no grades, there’s no pressure, just fun,” she said about the Thursday night class.

“Mastery-based learning can be traced to the 1960s, when Benjamin Bloom, a professor at the University of Chicago and an education psychologist, challenged conventional classroom practices. He imagined a more holistic system that required students to demonstrate learning before moving ahead. But the strategy was not widely used because it was so labor intensive for teachers. Now, with computer-assisted teaching allowing for tailored exercises and online lessons, it is making a resurgence,” said Kyle Spencer in a 2017 New York Times article.

Richardson strives for inclusivity. She said, “You don’t have to be a seasoned writer to sign up for the course. Maybe you’ve never tried to write creatively before, but wonder, what if I’d be good at it?”  

Throughout the program, young writers will build skills, polish their craft, and bond with like-minded peers. Each class has a unique theme and includes time for students to read their work aloud. After completing the original curriculum, students will have the start of a novel, a short story, or several standalone pieces to put in their writing portfolio.

Muse Squad adds a new fun and engaging facet to Ridgefield’s already vibrant arts community. In Miss Brittney’s evening class, your child can give the essays and papers a rest, and for 90 minutes, let their imagination go free. Visit the website to learn more.