About the Teacher

My name is Julie Blair Riekse (“Rick-see”). I earned a Master of Science in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. in 1997, as well as bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Holland, Mich., in 1996. I majored in both political science and communication. I edited the school’s newspaper for four years.

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After graduating, I covered K-16 education for 12 years at national newspapers including “The Philadelphia Inquirer” and “Education Week.” My personal essays ran for three years as part of the “Voices” series at “The Dallas Morning News” and work has been featured in the op-ed section of “The Washington Post.” My book “Building Bridges with the Press: A Guide for Educators,” is sold on Amazon.com as a text for colleges around the nation. Currently, I’m authoring “Our Lady of Perpetual Exhaustion: A Memoir of Modern Motherhood.” It’s inspired by my own three children. 

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Pragmatic Pen began organically: Neighbors who knew of my journalism background asked for help elevating their writing skills. Six years later, I’ve taught some 700 students around the nation the principles of personal narratives. My secret sauce: a surgical, four-part scaffolding method designed to help young people tell their stories effectively—whether or not they like to write.

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It’s been thrilling to see all they’ve achieved. That said, I’m kicking myself for not keeping records of their collective scholarship earnings. 

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My students have gained admission to University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas, Texas A&M University, Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Barrett: The Honors College at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Louisiana State University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Maine Honors College, Purdue University Honors College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Dartmouth College, University of California, Berkeley, the University of North Carolina, Elon University, Salve Regina University, James Madison University, Stanford University and the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden). 

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Thanks to parent requests, I added basic writing classes for middle schoolers in 2018. Then in 2019, I crafted an entire semester-long class executed at McKamy Middle School here in Texas. The summer of 2019 found me piloting a course for kids ages 10-12. And in 2020—the year that Zoom became a thing—I added media training to help Seniors prep for college admissions interviews. 

 

I’m obsessed with writing and teaching and teaching writing. All require lots of Diet Coke, extra cold.