Kris Cordell

Founder/Owner/ATP Instructor

• BS degree from San Diego Christian College

• 30+ years experience teaching literature and writing

Kris is the founder, owner, and leader of The Write Journey. She is grateful for the amazing team of instructors that work with her to bring quality writing instruction to students nationwide. Yes, life is a journey, and Kris’s journey has allowed her to enjoy 39+ years of marriage to her husband, Tom (who happens to do an amazing job managing our HR and bookkeeping); 35+ years of being a proud parent of their four children (and now three “perfect” grandchildren); and 20+ years of working out her vision to bring quality writing instruction to both children and adults.

Kris is passionate about IDEAS, and she feels passionate about encouraging others to share their ideas. This is why she has created a business that encourages EVERYONE to share their ideas in lively discussions and writing. As The Write Journey continues to pursue their vision to develop quality writers through relational education, excellent literature will continue to be a part of this process. Year after year, Kris and her team of instructors work to formulate unique and practical approaches to teaching writing with the goal of bringing quality education back to our homes and schools.

Julie Snyder

Educational Director/Instructor/Tutor

Julie has had the privilege of homeschooling her daughter for the first eight years of her formal education. With extensive medical issues, her daughter required many surgeries and endured sometimes days, weeks, or months of recovery time. As her nurse, Julie had to learn to balance physical needs with social experiences and educational habits that would help her grow into a brilliant student with a bright future. Julie loves a good challenge. She also loves to watch a student grasp a concept, develop skills and succeed! She believes that with effort and time, each person can learn to communicate more effectively. Writing is a huge portion of communicating, but it doesn't need to be overwhelming. With the tools we have to offer, Julie feels certain that each student will grow and blossom, becoming confident in the skills needed to be a good writer. She has extensive experience working with students of all ages, from preschool age through college level. She is passionate about teaching with kindness and joy. Learning is wonderful and Julie hopes to pass that love on to others.

Julie has transitioned into the training role for the teachers, and is the Adult Training Instructor. While she still maintains a handful of long-term tutoring students over the past 5 years, she continues to develop new resources and avenues to help our parents and community partners bring rich writing instruction to the families we serve.

Susie Stavness

Instructor/Tutor

• BA in Liberal Studies, CSUS

• Teaching Credential, CSUS

Susie began her teaching career as a public school classroom teacher, teaching second through fourth grades in Southern California. After moving to the Sacramento region, she had the joy of homeschooling her four sons in their primary grades. She also taught literature-based writing classes with Kris for eight years before returning to a traditional school setting to teach fifth grade in a local private school.

Tutoring provides her the opportunity to continue teaching, something she has enjoyed doing for the past forty years in various settings. She finds working with students individually to be extremely rewarding and satisfying. In addition to tutoring, she now enjoys having more time to spend with her grown children and five grandchildren.

Additionally, Susie enjoys reading good books, completing Sudoku puzzles, playing pickle-ball, taking walks with her husband of 39 years, playing board and card games, participating on the worship team, and teaching Sunday School.

Mikaela Bagdanov

Instructor/Tutor

• B.A. in English, emphasis in Literature, from Columbia College

Mikaela's fondest memories are of being homeschooled with her brothers at their kitchen table. Her mother's tireless and inventive efforts demonstrated that learning doesn't have to be boring. These ideals shaped Mikaela's own approach with children as she accumulated over a decade of experience working with students, pre-school through college-aged. She has served as a small group leader in her church’s student ministries, co-led First Five programs at her local library, and created her own curriculum as a public-school sign language aide. No matter the position, Mikaela loves connecting with students and discovering how to teach in the way they learn best. Her homeschooled upbringing also engendered her passion for writing, inspiring a dream of becoming a published author. Years of self-led study in creative writing culminated in a bachelor’s degree in 2019, and work on her first novel began the following year. Mikaela believes the written word is powerful to communicate ideas and shape culture. Joining The Write Journey in 2022, she is excited to give back to the homeschooling community and support parents in raising the next generation of communicators and storytellers.

On the side, Mikaela also works as a professional sign language interpreter of the Deaf. For free time, she loves spending time with her family and God, discovering new stories (no matter the medium), playing the piano, and teaching herself foreign languages. She is always looking to learn something new!

Sheila Bradley

Instructor/Tutor

• BA in Liberal Studies

• Teaching Credential

Sheila has been married to Darren since 1992, and they have two children. They home schooled their children, and both children graduated from college with honors. Sheila earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California Baptist University at which time she also completed her multiple subject teaching credential. Continuing her education, she has also been certified by the Institute for Excellence in Writing as a private tutor and has attended multiple teaching and writing seminars offered as Professional Development Courses. Over the years, Sheila has taught in a private christian school and has been a substitute teacher in several school districts around California. Tutoring students in reading fluency and writing are Sheila’s passions. In her free time, Sheila enjoys reading historical fiction, sewing, and cooking.

Lauren Elmendorf

Instructor/Tutor

• BA from Biola

From a young age, Lauren knew she desired to be a teacher. She has always loved children and wanted a career that would allow her to help shape young minds and provide flexibility when she had her own family. Lauren has experience in teaching preschool through 8th grade, but has the most experience teaching 3rd grade. She loves classroom discussions, read-alouds, math, and watching things "click" in the minds of her students. When Lauren decided to stay home with her newborn son, teaching for The Write Journey was the perfect opportunity to satisfy her desire to still teach. She enjoys facilitating literature discussions and helping students articulate and organize their ideas. Lauren lives with her husband, their two year old son, and a rambunctious miniature poodle named Winnie. When she's not teaching, she spends her time playing with her toddler. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cross-stitching, adult coloring books, puzzles, or catching up on favorite TV shows.

Kate Dutton

Instructor/Tutor

• Bachelors in Liberal Arts

• Concentration in Science

• Specialized in differentiated instruction for struggling learners

• 25 yrs experience as a classroom teacher

Miss Kate has two adult and two teenage children. The Dutton family enjoys spending time together adventuring, camping, hiking, getting wild with water sports, and playing volleyball and tennis. Kate also loves serving at her church, hanging out with friends, crocheting, cooking, and learning how to homestead. Kate has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in science, and extensive training in reading intervention and differentiating instruction for struggling learners. With 25+ years of teaching experience in the classroom, Miss Kate looks forward to the new experience of working in the homeschool community with The Write Journey. Her own children attended classes with TWJ (when it was still called Writing with Kris), so Miss Kate understands the needs of homeschooling families as well!

Meagan Stanley

Instructor/Tutor

• BA in English from William Jessup University

Meagan Stanley is a graduate from William Jessup University studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She graduated in the Fall of 2019 and hopes to continue tutoring and teaching English to the next generation. Growing up, Meagan received a classical education, studying subjects such as formal logic, Latin, and classic literature. This educational foundation has fueled her passion for all things English, whether it be grammar, literature analysis, or creative writing. She is currently writing her debut novel, and she works as a tutor at William Jessup University’s Writing Center. Meagan has been with the The Write Journey team since Fall 2018.

Audra Sterrett

Instructor/Tutor

• BA in Literature at UC Santa Barbara

• California Teaching Credential

A love of reading and a passion to learn something new brought Audra to UC Santa Barbara to earn a BA in Literature and then on to CSU, Sacramento’s teaching credential program. Audra loved teaching kindergarten in Folsom-Cordova Unified School District for seven years before homeschooling her own three children. She taught K-8th grade homeschool classes that she created in various subjects from ASL to history, finally joining The Write Journey five plus years ago.

Now with one high school graduate, and two high school students homeschooling, Audra and her husband Chris realize how much teens still need their parents.  When she has a moment, Audra pulls weeds in the backyard, appreciates a colorful sunset or walks by the river with a friend. She dreams of traveling with her family and spending time listening to the sound of the ocean waves rolling onto the sand.

Sharing stories, talking with students and families, tutoring kindergarten through multi-paragraph writing…Audra helps students of all ages. She looks forward to welcoming your beginning reader and writer!

Mary Reinig

Instructor/ Tutor

• BA in Communication, CSUSM

Meet Mary, a California dreamer with a passion for changing the world with words! Living life in sunny So. Cal., she navigated her way through her educational journey at Cal State San Marcos, majoring in Communication. It was during her time in college she discovered her talent and passion for writing. Through various assignments, and working as a professor’s assistant and tutor in the Writing Lab, Mary fell in love with the art of crafting eloquent prose that captures the very essence of a writer's soul. After working a few years in the supply chain industry, Mary found her way to the homeschool community to pursue her vision of teaching business communication skills to the younger generation. Her goal is to help set students up for success in the “real world”, and is driven by enjoying a mutual love of learning with her students. On the side, Mary celebrates life with fun hobbies like reading, beach-going, and hoola hooping. Her zest for life and dedication to fostering positive connections with her students are the driving forces behind her work with The Write Journey.