All the Write Colors

All the Write Colors 💗 Neurodivergent-friendly literacy (ADHD, Dyslexia, & Gifted)
📚 Book Publishing for Kid Authors!

Helping kids feel seen, heard, & inspired.
✏️ Courses • Printable Lessons • Teaching tips • Classes Katharine Hsu, learning specialist, transforms learning success for kids through individualized, joyful classes.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot at the start of a new school year:What are we testing? What are we grading? And are ...
09/03/2026

I’ve been thinking about this a lot at the start of a new school year:

What are we testing? What are we grading? And are those things actually preparing our kids for their future?

As AI evolves, perfect spelling, punctuation, handwriting, and following a writing prompt can’t be our definition of a strong writer.

Of course kids need foundational skills. But, I want us to put just as much value on what they can think and create.

Can they generate their own idea? Ask a great question? Explain something clearly? Make us laugh or care? Develop a voice that actually sounds like them?

I tell my students there’s A.I.—Artificial Intelligence—and then there’s Z.I.—Zachary Intelligence (or whatever their name is 🫶🏽). Their intelligence will always be the most valuable.

And maybe this is the year we finally give writing as much attention as we give reading. And not just writing correctly, but actually becoming writers.

Because if school is preparing kids for their future, we may need to rethink what’s worth teaching, practicing, and grading. ❤️

What are your thoughts on how writing is taught and graded in school? Save or share this post to help schools and education keep up with the times.

09/02/2026

SAVE this for your next vowel team lesson! ✏️

For many kids with dyslexia and/or ADHD, remembering and retrieving phonics and spelling rules can be one of the hardest parts.

That’s why I love turning phonics instruction into silly stories, characters, visuals, and hands-on activities. Reading and spelling intervention can be both strategic AND fun! In fact, I have found kids to shut down sometimes when phonics lessons gets too serious.

If you’re a teacher, reading interventionist, or homeschool parent looking for more ways to teach vowel teams, my Level 6 Vowel Teams Unit includes 165 pages of practice activities, flashcards, games, and hands-on learning, organized by individual vowel team.

Find my All the Write Sounds program on my website at allthewritecolors.com 💛

08/30/2026

This is one of my favorite parts of what I do. She didn’t just complete a writing assignment. She became an author of a real book, with her name on the front and a barcode on the back. 🎊

Think of all the important life skills she had to learn to accomplish this. She had to learn to be persistent, to plan, to be open to feedback, to write at length, to format and design, and so much more!

There’s something really special about giving kids the chance to see that their ideas are worth taking seriously. It didn’t feel genuine when I was giving out grades for writing assignments. But being able to look up your book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and make money from it says it all.

If you would like to support Amreen or any of my other student authors, you can order their books from Amazon or on my website. Our kid authors receive 100% of book earnings.

08/28/2026

Okay, this keeps happening and I feel like we need to talk about it.

I’ve now worked with several kids who have been struggling with reading for years, and then 20–30 minutes into our first class together…they’re reading words on their own.

And I promise, I am not a miracle worker. 😂 I’m really just changing a few things about HOW they’re learning.

We’re not sitting there doing the same thing over and over again. We’re slapping cards, squishing Play-Doh, moving around, making dunks, playing games, and basically finding as many ways as possible to get their brains AND bodies involved in the learning.

But I think the other huge piece is that I’m not afraid to move at the kid’s pace. IF they need more time, we slow down. But if they get it? Let’s skip or speed it up. Why am I going to make you sit through 10 more repetitions of something you already understand just because the program says we’re supposed to?

And I think that’s what I keep coming back to.

These kids CAN learn to read.

Sometimes we just need to be willing to change what we’re doing when what we’re doing isn’t working. Make it active. Make it hands-on. Make it fun. Slow down when they need it. Speed up when they’re ready.

Teach the kid in front of you, not the program. 💗

Save or share this with someone who gets it.

Visit allthewritecolors.com for my All the Write Sounds reading and spelling program. Or, visit my YouTube channel for free teaching tips!

08/24/2026

What if instead of giving “sandwich” feedback, we give “cupcake” feedback when we are teaching writing? I noticed this with myself that when I am trying something new or something hard, my rejection sensitivity is heightened. I need encouragement to keep going and getting critiques is quite discouraging.

When we teach writing, we have to remember that this is something new, risky, or hard for kids. They are still learning how to tell a story cohesively, how to form letters, how to spell, and how to craft,…and so much more! Looking back, I think I unintentionally discouraged a lot of kids from writing by giving them critiques too soon.

So nowadays, I give a lot of specific, intentional compliments (a.k.a. cupcake feedback). At first, it felt like I wasn’t teaching if I was giving compliments but I noticed how much more kids were willing to keep writing, and improving.

Here are a few writing compliments I would use that helped encourage even better writing. Save this list for the next time you need to give writing feedback to a student and let us know how it goes!

“This part is hilarious.”
“What a great way to introduce this new character.”
“Great job adding a period here. I can take a breath before the next statement.”
“I love the way you described the scene - I can see it so clearly!”
“Love the name you chose for this character.”
“I feel like I’m reading a movie! So well written.”
“You’re doing a great job using the sounds you know.”
“You’ve got me at the edge of my seat. I want to know more!”

08/19/2026

I genuinely didn’t understand the depths of dyslexia and dysgraphia when I was a classroom teacher.

It wasn’t until I had the time and flexibility to work outside of one size fits all programs that I started to understand just how differently kids’ brains learn.

Did you know ADHD commonly co occurs with dyslexia? Sometimes a child doesn’t need more repetition. They may also need support with attention, working memory, recall, and executive functioning.

This isn’t a knock on any school or program. I just wish we were more eager to normalize and celebrate kids with dyslexia and dysgraphia instead of immediately reaching for another workbook or drill.

Just this week, a student used LEGOs and connectors to understand a spelling rule. He created an approach that made sense to his brain. It was incredible to watch.

How many kids are we unintentionally discouraging when what they really need is more flexibility and creativity in how they learn?

This clip is from my YouTube video, “Mistakes I Made as a Reading & Writing Teacher.” Watch the full video on YouTube, and if this resonates, share it with a teacher or family who needs to hear it. 💛

08/13/2026

As I start the new year, I’m reflecting back on the mistakes I’ve made as a writing and reading teacher. I wish I had known these things my first few years of teaching, and now that I know better, there’s no going back to before! In the coming days, I’ll be sharing a few clips like this from my new YouTube Video: Mistakes I Made. 🎥

Mistake 1 - not including art/illustrations as part of the writing assignment…even for older kids! I would assign writing assignments only on lined paper or typed paper with no area to draw. 📝 I would grade strictly on the text. The grading rubric never even acknowledged drawings. But, nowadays, I see SO much great writing enhanced because of the illustrations. 🖼️ Plus, kids who were reluctant writers suddenly are having a blast writing for hours because they get to add pictures and illustrations. We should normalize illustrating as part of the writing process (for the kids who are interested).

Now, some people might argue that it isn’t high caliber writing if students add pictures during writing time. But if you look at real professional authors like Dav Pilkey or even Manga authors and Pixar creators, these are VERY 🔥 successful storytelling industries with amazing text/art creations.

So why was I diminishing this type of writing? How many talented young writers did I lose because of my narrowed writing beliefs?

Challenge: With a reluctant writer this year, give them unlined paper and permission to add drawings to their story. It can be words on top and picture below the words, or it can be comic book style where they create their own story frames. Come back and tell us if they were more interested in writing! Don’t forget to compliment them as they write! 💗

To learn more from my mistakes, visit my video Mistakes I Made on my YouTube Channel Ms. Katharine (M.Ed) - All the Write Colors

07/08/2026

Would you be surprised if I told you some of these kids have gotten in trouble in school before for talking too much or for not focusing? These angels are happily writing and quietly exchanging story ideas. And they can do this for hours!

How does this work? I truly believe giving kids lots of choice in where they work is important. One classroom for 25 kids all day long is not conducive to getting work done. I don’t even think adults can focus in that environment. The kids you see here are great friends and love chatting and movement. But when it comes to writing stories, they naturally will split up on their own to get work done. Periodically, they will move to a different room and/or check on their buddies.

This also works because of topic autonomy. Rather than seeing ADHD or autism as a problem, teach to their interests and you can foster some of the best writers. Neurodivergent kids have great ideas and love to hyper focus. So, I give them autonomy to choose the stories and genre they want to write, and then I teach writing skills as they write. Because of this, no one wants to stop writing and everyone feels calm and happy. Zero behavior issues!

As I’m writing this, these young authors are so happy sharing and complimenting each other’s stories. Would you enjoy this type of writing environment?

Writing is perfect therapy for energetic kids. It lets their minds play and helps their personalities shine.

It’s finally July and you know what that means?! It’s summer camp time! Our first week starts this Monday and I cannot w...
07/01/2026

It’s finally July and you know what that means?! It’s summer camp time! Our first week starts this Monday and I cannot wait to see all of our campers again. We are in the midst of setting up our space-themed writing oasis. Get ready to escape into a story galaxy this summer.

Camp families, please remember to check your emails for more information and reminders. You will receive one email two weeks before camp, and a second one 24 hours before day 1!

And I will post a full reveal very soon. Stay tuned.

Hugs,
- Ms. Katharine

05/18/2026

What’s your opinion about teaching nonsense words? I get that we want to make sure a child is truly using their phonetic knowledge instead of memorizing familiar words. But, I haven’t see this approach actually be beneficial for kids with dyslexia or adhd because they already have to memorize the exceptions. When they read a word that doesn’t sound like a word they recognize, they may wonder if it’s one of the spelling exceptions. I vote for getting rid of this added pressure and just stick to teaching the thousands of English words already out there.

After all, we’re here to build confidence in reading. I don’t want to add anything to could contribute to them doubting their learning. Leave a comment below if you have an opinion about this. I know mine is not a popular opinion, but it’s what I’ve learned after successfully helping hundreds of neurodivergent kids read.

✏️ For more nontraditional teaching tips, follow my YouTube Channel: All the Write Colors.
💗 For my results-proven teaching resources that are adhd and dyslexia friendly, purchase and print from my website at allthewritecolors.com

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