Instructors

Ms. Sara Acosta

Sara Acosta graduated from Ventura College with Associates’ degrees in Behavioral Science and Accounting. She works as an office manger for a local plumbing comapny and Fosters Children for the county. She is the mom of a 16 year old junior, Jennifer Rose, who attends Buena High School, and a 6 year old 1st grader, James Lucas, who attends Portola Elementary. For the past 7 years, Sara has taught classes with the YES Writing Program. Sara decided to teach with YES Writing years ago, because when she was homeschooled from 3rd-7^th grade, there were no similar programs or classes for her to attend. These programs give homeschooled or charter school students the social and classroom aspect of learning that Sara wishes she’d had during her own homeschool experience. Excited for the new school year to begin, Sara is looking forward to spending the school year growing with each and every one of her students.

Mrs. Alyssa Poelstra

I received my degree in English along with a teaching credential from Calvin College in 2002. After teaching middle school Language Arts at Valley Christian in Cerritos for 3 years, my husband and I moved to Ventura. I then taught 8th grade Language Arts at Sycamore Canyon School in Newbury Park and obtained my CA teaching credential. In 2011 I began homeschooling my own children and have done so ever since. Over the years my family has been highly involved with local homeschool co-ops where I have taught numerous classes. My passions include reading, language, and taking my kids to the beach!

Mrs. Stacy Rea

My husband and I, who live in Ventura, CA, are blessed with three affable and accomplished children. Since 2005, we have experienced the joy of being a homeschooling family. Serendipitously, my love of learning was born and developed at Thomas Aquinas College, where I earned my BA in Liberal Arts. Because of my desire to share this love with others, I obtained a California teaching credential and Masters in Education from Pepperdine University. Teaching grades 1 through 11 over three and a half years in a traditional classroom was wonderfully rewarding. This experience inspired me to employ my skills and expertise in my own home. When I am finished with my daily responsibilities, I strive to make time for reading, crafts, and fitness.

Mrs. Dawn Warren

Having joined the YES Writing Staff in Ventura, CA in 2016, Dawn is accredited at the certified level by the Institute for Excellence in Writing. She has taught various levels of IEW (elementary, middle, and high-school), high-school level American and World Literature courses and is also available for one-on-one tutoring. Dawn holds a BA in English and Communications from Trinity International University. After ten years in business-to-business marketing and free-lance newswriting, Dawn opted to spend the majority of her time raising four children with her husband, Brad. Staying at home with her kids has brought Dawn tremendous joy and blessing. Concurrently, she has developed her teaching skills in both church and classroom settings in the last twenty years. She has led Bible studies for elementary homeschooled children, served in junior high youth group leadership, and taught at the Good News Club in the public school. She has volunteered regularly in her children's public school classrooms, helping students develop basic reading and writing skills. Dawn has also been a frequent discussion leader for women’s Bible studies. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing at the beach, hiking, or curling up with a novel.

Mrs. Sandra Yip

Sandra is accredited as an Accomplished Instructor with the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). She holds a bachelor's degree in Education from Shippensburg State University (PA), as well as a California multiple-subject K-12 teaching certificate and CLAD certification. Having taught in public, private, and home schools, Sandra began teaching IEW writing classes over 20 years ago. For several years she has been an approved vendor for Golden Valley Charter School and for Inspire Charter schools. Mrs. Yip homeschooled her own children from preschool through highschool graduation.

This past year she taught two online classes for Institute for Excellence in Writing as well as the local live classes in Ventura County.

While the passion and joy of her life is watching children learn, she has recently discovered another passion: working with college students in Tanzania and developing Basic Writing for Adults lessons in conjunction with IEW. In 2018 she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to teach homeschooling moms how to use IEW program with their children.