The high-schooler who is teaching parents how to educate their kids

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It’s fitting that this week’s newsletter addresses the power of writing online.

When I started writing the Prequel newsletter, I hoped I might reach a few thousand people who shared my vision for how kids can best prepare themselves for a successful future.

I never dreamed I’d find such an inspiring and courageous community of readers. I want to thank each and every one of you!

And this week, I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about Kate.

Why kids should be writing online

Kate always loved writing.

But after starting her newsletter, Austin Scholar, she discovered the power of putting her work out into the world.

She realized that her voice can guide the future of education and provide counsel to parents.

Oh, and did we mention Kate is in high school? 🔥

According to this meta-analysis, mastering writing at an early age is a strong predictor of success in college and the workplace.

But students aren’t getting enough writing practice in classrooms.

To master writing, kids will need to do more than just write three-paragraph essays on their assigned reading. They’ll need to:

• Write about topics they’re uniquely interested in

• Find their unique style and voice

• Share their work with the real world 🌎

Writing online is one of the best ways to build the skills needed to master writing.

According to this study, blogging can even increase kids’ engagement at school. It’s motivating for kids to write for a real audience, not just their teachers.

But getting better at writing isn’t the only reason kids should start writing online — building an audience brings a treasure trove of opportunities.

There’s no one whose story better exemplifies this truth than Kate. 👇

Meet the high-schooler who is teaching parents how to educate their kids

When it was time for Kate to choose her “masterpiece”, a 4-year passion project required by her high school to graduate, she chose to write a newsletter.

But she wanted to provide real value to her readers. “One of the biggest things I want to do is help people,” said Kate.

And so she chose her topic: education, because (in her words):

“I have had the weirdest and most unique education a person can have.”

Kate attended a private Catholic school until 4th grade, when she transferred to a tiny school…with no teachers.

You read that right — Kate learned exclusively through online adaptive apps. 🖥️

“As someone self-driven and independent, I loved it,” said Kate.

Kate’s unique schooling gave her:

• A strong love of learning

• An ability to solve any problem on her own

• The confidence to know she could learn anything

🕘 But more importantly, Kate’s education gave her time.

“All my academics were done in 2-3 hours a day,” said Kate. So, she spent her afternoons learning anything she wanted — public speaking, creative writing, audience-building, etc.

Kate knew that her education had prepared her to thrive.

So, she decided to tell parents how they could provide this incredible experience to their own child.

⏩ Fast-forward to the present day:

• Kate’s been writing her newsletter for 83 weeks straight

• She has over a thousand free subscribers

• And she just got her 100th paid subscriber! 🎉(Who’s next?)

She’s also been writing on Twitter (X) to promote her newsletter, garnering over 12,700 followers.

Moreover, Kate’s newsletter has opened up doors she never expected it to, like:

⭐ Getting the attention of huge names, like Sahil Bloom, Ana Lorena Fabrega, and Ali Abdaal (who subscribes to her newsletter!)

🎙️ Writing articles for magazines or being interviewed on podcasts

🏅 Being invited to have a booth and present at the Austin Woman’s Way awards

“Every week, there’s some cool new opportunity that I have,” said Kate.

And even though Kate is working hard on her newsletter, her academics haven’t suffered.

🎓 Kate will graduate this spring with:

• A 1600 on the SAT (!!)

• 4s and 5s on all of her AP tests

• An incredible newsletter (that she has no plans to stop writing in college!)

Starting a weekly newsletter changed Kate’s life. Here’s how your kids can start their own. 👇

How to start an online newsletter in four steps (and get paid to do it!)

1. Decide what to write about.

“Every kid has an obsession with something,” said Kate.

It could be…

🎶 Musicals

🚵 Mountain biking

🎩 Magic tricks

…whatever tickles your fancy!

“It can literally be anything,” Kate says. The key is to choose something you’re interested in learning more about.

2. Find your unique voice.

Kate took David Perell’s Write of Passage course to learn how to write online (and she had to pitch herself to get into the adult-level class).

David says that bringing out your personality is one of the most important ways to stand out in the age of ChatGPT.

“What are the things that only you can do?” he asks. “Those are going to be the writers who stand out: those who say things and write in a way that no one else does.”

To find your unique voice, David suggests writing in the way that you speak.

🗣 Try recording your next essay on a voice memo or use a transcription tool like Otter.ai.

3. Research your topic.

The best way to never run out of ideas? “Use a second brain,” says Kate.

Tiago Forte, author of Building a Second Brain, suggests that writers (and all creative people!) collect and organize their most important ideas in notes so they can use them later.

You can start by writing down anything you’ve learned after reading a news article, Twitter thread, or book.

🗒️ Try Apple Notes, Notion, or Evernote to get started.

4. Stick to your posting schedule.

Having consistently published her newsletter 83 weeks in a row, Kate has some suggestions for committing to a regular cadence:

1. Having accountability: “I have an editor who reviews my newsletters every Saturday morning,” said Kate. “So if I want my newsletter to be reviewed, it needs to be done every Friday night.”

2. Creating a habit: The more often you write, the easier it becomes. “It’s such a routine now. If I didn’t have a newsletter to write on Thursday afternoons, it’d be weird.”

David Perell says the question shouldn’t be “When should I write?” but “What should I write?”

When you start asking the second question, you know you’ve developed a rock-solid writing habit. ✍️

Until next time,

Ivy

CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo, AI Masterclass

Follow my journey on LinkedIn