SEMONEMO Leaders in Training

About LIT

LIT is taught by a team of five teachers, each with a US master's degree in education and 5 to 20+ years of classroom experience. They aren't simply fluent native speakers — every one of them studied education and has taught students in real classrooms.

The five Leaders in Training teachers worked together to carefully choose the right books for each grade. Through in-depth reading of hand-picked main books and thorough 1:1 feedback, students grow into 'ready leaders' who can form their own logical perspective in a complex world.

Who it's for

• Students at public or private schools in the US and Canada, or at international schools in Korea and abroad
• Students who are fluent in English discussion and essay writing
• Grades 6–9 students performing at a top-1% level
• Students who completed the Semonemo Writing Level 7 regular course with excellent results
• Passing the advanced placement test is required

Class info

How students learn

• 📖

  Weekly reading

  Students read an assigned portion each week and come to class ready to take part.

• 🔤

  Work for each book

  2 essays

  1 debate

  1 presentation

• 💬

  1:1 coaching

  In a weekly one-on-one session with their teacher, students go from draft → feedback → revision to polish their writing into finished work.

• 🎤

  Peer Learning

  Polished work is shared with classmates through presentations, and learning from each other's work is a core part of the class.

Our teaching philosophy

This season's curriculum

Each regular term is a 12-week course made up of four themed programs by recommended grade. Each program explores three books in depth — one every 4 weeks — with critical reading, discussion, writing, and presentations built in.

Classes in session (Fall 2026)

Classes currently running and their times. Ask in your consultation whether your child can join mid-term and when the next term starts. Times are Korea time (KST) or US Eastern time (ET).

Meet the LIT teachers

Meet the teachers of LIT, our advanced grades 6–9 writing class for students at US and international schools. Five teachers with US master's degrees in education and active teaching careers lead the program.

Ms. Jessica Lee

LIT Grades 6-7

• A certified teacher who still teaches at a US public school. She works as a Head Teacher at a school in Washington, D.C., and with her master's in education she is responsible for everything from curriculum design to individual student support. As director of Semonemo Book Club, she has led our reading programs, and she also teaches two classes herself. Because she works with children in a real classroom every day, she understands students' level and their real-life workload better than anyone.

Ms. Shelley Burns

LIT Grades 8-9

• An education specialist with a master's in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In a 20-year teaching career, she spent 18 years as a high school English teacher in public, private, and charter schools, and has extensive experience teaching English language learners. She respects each student's writing style while coaching both logical structure and expression.

Ms. Lauren Lai

LIT Grades 6-7

• Originally from Arizona, she earned her master's in education and then taught as a certified teacher at an international school in Thailand. She now teaches as a certified teacher at an international school in Australia, bringing a broad perspective from years of working with students from many cultural backgrounds. Her international classroom experience in Thailand and Australia is a particular asset for Semonemo students in Korea and abroad.

Ms. Rachel Lee

LIT Grades 6-7, 8-9 · Semonemo Writing Director

• She holds a bachelor's in education and a master's in educational technology, and taught as a certified teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia. She then worked as an Instructional Designer, systematically designing curricula and learning experiences — and brings both backgrounds to her role as Semonemo's Writing Director. She leads curriculum design for the whole program and collaboration among the teachers, and she also teaches grade 8–9 students herself.

Ms. Molly Lepore

LIT Grades 8-9

• A veteran certified teacher who has taught advanced high school English in Colorado for 25 years. As an official College Board AP English Language reader, she has scored thousands of student essays each year against the official rubric, and she still teaches AP English Language & Composition today. Now in her third year with Semonemo, she is especially strong at raising students' argumentation to college-essay level through writing and debate coaching. She leads the Surviving Together program with grade 8–9 students.

Class Activities

Here are examples of activities from real LIT classes. From peer essay review to perspective discussions, in-depth analysis, and pro/con debates — reading, writing, and speaking all connect.

• Peer Essay Review
• Making Connections
• Analysis & Discussion
• Debate

Enrollment details

• 📖

  Admission

  Semonemo Writing Level 7 certificate, or passing the placement test (reading, writing, and critical thinking)

  Limited spots — first come, first served

• 🔤

  Homework and assignments

  Weekly reading assignments and discussion prep

  For each book: 2 essays · 1 debate · 1 presentation

  Final project presentation

• 💬

  How classes run

  All classes are held online via Zoom

  Includes both group discussion and individual feedback sessions

  Individual feedback sessions are scheduled each week.

Parent reviews

• “My child gained a lot of confidence through this class. They love reading, so it was a great fit, and they said meeting friends online for discussions was wonderful. The 1:1 coaching — seeing exactly what to work on and fixing it — was a very important and much-needed time for my child.”

  Translated from Korean