Hi, I'm Kristi Van Sickle.

I've spent more than two decades teaching English, helping students become stronger readers, writers, and thinkers.

Like many English teachers, I watched students memorize grammar rules for quizzes... only to forget them when they needed those same concepts in their writing.

That frustration led me to start experimenting in my own classroom.

What began as a simple question -

"What if grammar felt like a story instead of a list of rules?" - eventually became Syntax Springs.

It was the culmination of years in the classroom, experiences with thousands of students, and lessons I learned while serving as a facilitator at The Disney Institute, where I taught executives from around the world through Disney's Innovation in Action program.

The remarkable part is that I didn't fully connect those experiences to my own classroom until 2025.

That's when everything clicked.

I realized that what creates unforgettable experiences also creates unforgettable learning.

It all starts with STORY.

After refining, testing, revising, and teaching it with real students, Syntax Springs grew into the immersive curriculum it is today.

I'm still a classroom teacher. Everything I create is designed with real teachers, real students, and real classrooms in mind because if it doesn't work on a Tuesday afternoon in sixth period...

it doesn't belong in Syntax Springs.