Success Story

Hi, I'm Lyn Fairchild Hawks. an English, humanities, and theater teacher. I want my students to feel alive in the classroom, so I've always designed question-driven, open-ended, skills-based lessons that are investigative, deep, and fun. I've published curricula with Duke TIP, NCTE, Chicago Review Press, and ASCD. With over 13 years of teaching experience and 30 years designing curriculum--plus running online programs with Duke TIP’s distance learning programs for 10 years--I love both brick-and-mortar and online materials. I'm also the author of NCTE's forthcoming Teaching Macbeth: A Differentiated Approach, as well as these current publications: Teaching Julius Caesar: A Differentiated Approach and Teaching Romeo and Juliet: A Differentiated Approach (co-author). I am co-author of Chicago Review Press' The Compassionate Classroom: Lessons that Nurture Wisdom and Empathy. I'm a young adult author. Check out my novel, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought, for high school students, and my graphic novella, Minerda, for middle grade students, illustrated by the fabulous Robin Follet.

• differentiated writing instruction • creative writing activities • differentiated reading activities • problem-based learning • project-based learning • Socratic seminars • student interest and arts-integrated materials.

• Grant recipient, Elizabeth George Foundation. • Runner-up, James Jones First Novel Fellowship. St. Michael, Pray for Us. • Finalist, North Carolina State University Prize for Short Fiction. • AROHO Prize for Short Fiction. • William C. Friday Fellowship Grant. • USA Today All-Teacher Team, 3rd Team. • Earthwatch Fellowship • Mentor Teacher and Teacher of the Year nominee • Distinguished Teacher, Presidential Scholar Program and Mentor Teacher • Andrew W. Mellon Educational Fellow, Stanford University.

Stanford University A.M., Education Stanford University A.B., English Current MFA candidate in Writing for Children and Young Adults with the Vermont College of Fine Arts

As an experienced English teacher who has taught in public and independent schools for 13 years, I understand what skills students need for diverse range of writing tasks. As a long-time teacher of gifted youth, I know how to provide differentiated instruction for all readiness levels. As a creative curriculum designer and e-learning expert for over 30 years, I know how to provide meaningful online instruction via Zoom and activities targeted to student needs, interests, and skill sets. As the owner of Success Story College Essay Consulting, I understand how to prepare students for college-level writing as well as college admissions essays.