Please see the About Us page for general program information.

If you have any other questions, please contact us.

What if we are going to be gone for an online class meeting or a week?

The classes move rapidly, and have assignments that are due daily. Students cannot get behind in their work. If your student will miss an online class meeting, he or she will need to carefully read the transcript from the online class (which is sent to everyone each week), as well as the lesson, and do the assignments by the due dates. If you plan to be gone for a week or more, you will need to wait to enroll your child in a session that will not have interruptions. Students have extreme difficulty in catching up with missing assignments. In addition, it is unfair to the student and to the teacher to have a student rush through assignments.

What if my student is older than the recommended age range shown at the Description of Classes page?

The age ranges are general guidelines. If you have an older student who needs work on building a strong writing foundation, we will recommend the lower level classes. Students must have achieved mastery to work above any class level. Mastery means that he or she can apply the elements taught in the earlier classes on his or her own (no help) in all of his or her writing – not just “in theory” or on worksheets. Many students have learned these elements, but cannot apply them consistently in writing, which means they have not really achieved mastery.

After registering, is there anything my student needs to do prior to the session start?

YES, your student will have prep work that is REQUIRED to be completed no later than a week before the session begins (or by the deadline given by the teacher). Your student (and you) will receive a pre-class email from the instructor approximately 2 weeks before the start of the session. It will contain information and link to the steps to ensure your student is fully ready for the class.  If you do not receive the email by two weeks before the start of the session, please first check your spam folder, and if it has not been misdirected there, contact us immediately. In order to participate in the session, your student is required to complete the pre-class steps by the deadline given in that email.

I’m not sure of the proper placement for my child. Can I send a writing sample for you to evaluate?

Yes. Actually, for new students (or students who have missed two or more sessions)  in order to register for any class higher than the level of Fundamentals 1, we require a writing sample.. This is to ensure proper placement. Please see the Writing Sample Requirements page for more information.

How many students are in a class?

The Narrative, Report Writing, and Paragraph class may each have up to 15 or 16 students (many times less). We try to keep the limit for the younger classes at about 10-12 students.

Can I register to begin my student in any session during the year?

Yes, the material covered in each class each session is the same.

Should I register my student for all sessions right away in order to hold a spot in future sessions?

No. You will register your student for the first class. After that, towards the end of each session, we provide a recommendation for the next class. This may be a repeat of the same class (6 weeks is not a long time to completely master every element), or a recommendation to take an earlier level of class, or to take the next level. Parents need to focus on the goal of the classes, which is to build a strong foundation and mastery of the elements of writing. It is not a race to move ahead. Current students will always have priority registration and a guaranteed spot in the next session, as long as you meet the registration deadline that is sent to you.

When should I register my student for his or her first session?

Classes usually fill 1-2 months in advance, so register as early as possible to avoid disappointment. We often have waiting lists, especially for the Fundamentals 1 class and the Paragraph class.

Do you grade the students’ work?

The goal and philosophy of these classes is mastery. A student will almost always have at least one round of edits, and often will have two or more. Instead of providing a grade, which shows the student has mastered a certain percentage of what he or she has learned, students must revise until their work is as close to mastery as possible.

How much time should we plan for the work for the classes?

All classes have assignments due each day. A Daily Schedule is provided to assist the student in planning and organizing his or her workload.

The Fundamentals 1 and Fundamentals 2 classes require about 2-3 hours a week, in addition to the 1 hour weekly online meeting. This may be more or less, depending on how quickly your student works, and how many edits are required.

The Beginning Creative Writing, Narrative, and Report Writing classes require about 3-4 hours a week, in addition to the 1 hour weekly online meeting. This may be more or less, depending on how quickly your student works, and how many edits are required.

The Paragraph Writing, Writing About Books, Creative Writing, Expository, and Literature Analysis Classes require about 4-5 hours a week, in addition to the 1 hour weekly online meeting. This may be more or less, depending on how quickly your student works, and how many edits are required.

What software or hardware do I need for my children to take the classes?

You will need either a PC or a Mac computer with Microsoft Word or Microsoft Works. If you have neither of these, you can download a free Microsoft Word equivalent (and compatible with Word) called OpenOffice from www.openoffice.org. You cannot use WordPad or Pages. Google Docs can be used ONLY if you use the MLA format template in Google docs, and set up the format to our requirements. It can then be attached to an email to send. The key is to use “Attach” NOT “Share”.

You will need internet access. High speed internet is, of course, the best way to go.

You will also need to ensure you have the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader. The lessons and many handouts are in PDF format (so that everyone can read them, no matter what word processing program you have), and you need the latest Reader to open these. You can download and install this from https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

Other than that, you will need an e-mail program. Almost any e-mail program is fine, although we recommend that if you have Hotmail, that you set up a different email program account for our courses – Gmail is a good choice. We have had difficulty with Hotmail blocking emails from our staff and teachers.

Can more than one sibling take the same class at the same time?

Yes, we have many siblings who sit together at the computer to take the class.