As a writing teacher, one of my greatest rewards is seeing students using their hard-won skills in real life. One student who has recently done this is Michael Bowen. He graduated from my Level 3 class in 2019 and went straight to joint enrollment, completing his English requirement the next year. He graduated from high … Continue reading Featured Writing Student: Michael Bowen
Not a “Wishy-Washy English Teacher”
Quite apart from the fact that improper manuscript form greatly complicates the already onerous task of handling, marking, and sorting several hundred papers, and recording grades for them every semester, there is also the fact that one of the most important things a student should take from his education is a sense that he must … Continue reading Not a “Wishy-Washy English Teacher”
Why Do You Write the Date So Funny?
If you have noticed the dates on my articles, you might wonder why I write them that way. For instance, the date on this post is 15 October 2021, not October 15, 2021 as is usually written in the U.S. Actually, the date format I use is the one required by MLA, the Modern Language … Continue reading Why Do You Write the Date So Funny?
PREP-1 Is Off to a Great Start!
I'm really enjoying the PREP-1 class! The purpose of PREP-1 is to build the foundation of language in preparation for future writing. I am passionate about the value of language, and the most enjoyable way to access high quality language is through great literature and poetry. I think this will prove to be one of … Continue reading PREP-1 Is Off to a Great Start!
Free Download: Key Word Outlining Paragraphs about the U.S. Constitution!
Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention, by Junius Brutus Stearn, 1856 Wednesday, September 17th, is the 234th birthday of the United States Constitution! Did you know that the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution in continuous use? It's true! Writing about a subject is the BEST way to really learn about it! In … Continue reading Free Download: Key Word Outlining Paragraphs about the U.S. Constitution!
Writing Parents’ Information Meetings This Week!
Last night I held my local Writing Parents' Meeting for parents of local registered students! The Online Writing Parents' Meeting is this Thursday evening on Zoom. The meetings always fire up my enthusiasm for the start of classes the following week! Many of my writing families are long-term friends, because I have the pleasure of … Continue reading Writing Parents’ Information Meetings This Week!
Not Good at Writing Stories? Try It the IEW Way
One of the fun parts of teaching writing is reading my students' papers. In Level 1, we write stories in a very specific format, known as the "3-Paragraph Story." This assignment is designed to practice the elements of literature, so that when we begin literary analysis, the students can recognize the literary elements of the … Continue reading Not Good at Writing Stories? Try It the IEW Way
The New PREP-1 Handbooks Have Arrived!
I'm so excited to show off my newest handbook: PREP-1! The handbook contains all the instructions, assignment sheets, and source texts for the Key Work Outlining and oral reports that the students will be doing for the year. Additional material in the handbook, which may be used for individual students depending on their progress, includes … Continue reading The New PREP-1 Handbooks Have Arrived!
Classes start in about 4 weeks!
Materials have been mailed to online students and the Parents' Information Meetings are about three weeks away! Local parents will meet on August 31st and online parents on September 2nd! It's not too late to join a class, but time is growing short, so if you would like to find out more, send me an … Continue reading Classes start in about 4 weeks!
Reaccredited!
One of my main tasks this summer was to complete my biennial reaccreditation with IEW. The process includes submitting: A summary of six hours of IEW audio lectures; My lesson plans for each of my courses; Letters of recommendation from a parent and a student; Two papers, one written at the beginning and another at … Continue reading Reaccredited!