cherryblossom Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 After a recommendation to check out Write at Home for outsourcing my dd's writing next year, I perused their website. If you have used Write at Home with your children, would you mind sharing your experience? I'm specifically looking at their 9th grade Composition 1 course for next year. I would love to obtain some feedback from others who have enrolled their child and find out your thoughts and opinions. Has anyone followed their high school sequence? Did it sufficiently prepare your child for the SAT essay? Is the workload manageable? Thank you for any information you are able to share with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in FL Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 dd took the 7th grade composition class as a 6th grader. She found it very "light" with very few corrections. Most of the comments were "good job" or "great paragraph." I thought it was a waste of (little) time (as she didn't spend much time on the assignments) and a lot of money. She did the Paragraph, Writing About Books, Expository Writing and Poetry Writing/Analysis classes at home2teach. She learned a lot more, and I spent a lot less money. HTH, Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 There is VERY little instruction...no feedback to parents...some feedback to kids. That said, my natural writer loved it as it gave him some good advice, and my writing phobic son was not intimidated by the assignments and he can now write an essay without freaking out. (this was for the grade 9 comp class) He actually asked to do the essay workshop over the summer:001_huh: I think Bravewriter was a much more interactive class. My kids LOVED BW and I can heartily recommend it. My writing phobic son was not really ready for their independent class, and I wanted someone else to teach him composition this year, so we didn't do Bravewriter with him this year. he is now more than ready to tackle their high school classes...so maybe next year. If I can jump on your post...has anyone used Veritas Press Writing this year?? I was wondering how that was.... Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in FL Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Which class did your dc take? For the natural writer, what did he like about the class? Was it challenging for him? Any other comments from the natural writer perspective? TIA, Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well, darn. That's not the feedback I got from others who have used it here where I live. Did the folks who have used it here on the boards use it this past school year? I guess I'll check out Bravewriter.....thanks from me, too...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 (edited) My son used it (middle son) and while it was not super rigorous like CW, it was WONDERFUL for getting him to put pen to paper!! He was accountable to someone else, and not having mom reading his papers really helped him "blossom" as a writer. I would sneak peeks at his work when he wasn't looking (hey, they were on MY computer ;)) and I was always very proud of the work he was doing. This was my analytical math-loving engineer son...writing like a pro. OK, well, not quite "like a pro"...but better than *I* ever thought he could write. The teacher was extremely motivating and encouraging which is always helpful with reluctant writers. Anyhow, we only used it for a semester due to cost, but I was very happy with it. I am so tempted to put my upcoming 7th grader in a class, but I really want to try CW with him and I don't know if he could handle both. Maybe someday... Hth's! Edited May 7, 2009 by Melissa in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 We've used Write at Home for several different classes - the 8th, 9th and 10th grade courses, both Essay Workshops, and the Research Paper Workshop. Only once did we have an instructor like the one Sandra mentioned. Most were not only nice and encouraging, but also went the extra mile and gave detailed and helpful feedback. Even on "rewrite" weeks, my kids usually had plenty to do. My stronger writer dd took the assignments to a more difficult level when she felt it wasn't challenging enough, and the teacher helped her. For example, in the Essay Workshops, she would write several pages instead of the standard five-paragraph format. Or, when revising a paper, she would make major changes instead of the little ones suggested. She always found that the instructors would meet her higher expectations. The one year when we had the "that's fine" teacher, dd just decided to do her best anyway. You get out of the class what you put into it. Looking back on that year, my dd felt she grew as a writer as a result of the effort she made. We *wanted* that particular teacher to stop giving her straight A's and to critique her work more, but she plowed ahead and challenged herself in spite of it. The Essay workshops were our favorites; they use the Lively Art of Writing for instruction. Even though each workshop only produced two papers, we were pleased that they emphasized the rewriting and polishing process. I think this is where we often drop the ball, because it is not very fun to keep returning to a piece until it's just right. Dd was proud of what she accomplished in these two classes. My ds, on the other hand, is a reluctant writer who has trouble getting his thoughts out on paper. He's the one who took the research paper workshop. It was a good fit for him because it guided him through the process in small increments with lots of instruction weekly. ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 We have been pleased with the feedback from the instructors at Write at Home. Ds has taken 2 semester courses, and dd has taken one semester course and one essay workshop. I think they had 3 different instructors for the 4 classes. While the work may not be considered "rigorous" by some (most?) parents here, the classes were very good for my reluctant writer. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Thanks, ladies! This info seems more in line with what my acquaintances here have been telling me, so maybe I will give it further consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Which class did your dc take? For the natural writer, what did he like about the class? Was it challenging for him? Any other comments from the natural writer perspective? TIA, Sandra My natural writer took Composition 1 (1/2 year course,) The Essay workshop and the Short Story workshop. We did this in 11th grade just to have him write as he wasn't writing ANYTHING for me...sigh.... and he was working almost full time with his dad by then (long story, but basically we did a technical High School for this ds and he was finished with most of his academic classes by 15. I wanted him to write and he wrote. Was it challenging?? Not really, but he found it enjoyable. he had lots of fun with it and he made his writing coach laugh...which in my opinion is a good sign. if my kids make me laugh...I give them a better grade...LOL!! It means their paper wasn't BORING. He liked the assignments and was very creative with them. he also liked that I wasn't the one red penning them...and by the end he was asking me to help edit...so I guess that was good too. he had a positive experience and he did the work. For this child that was more than I could have asked for. Now my other son who is writing phobic has gotten over that with the help of this class (and one Bravewriter class which i will probably have him do again.) HTH, Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in FL Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Bravewriter class did your natural writer take? What did he like about the class? Was it challenging for him? Any other comments about the Bravewriter class from the natural writer's perspective? TIA, Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Bravewriter class did your natural writer take? What did he like about the class? Was it challenging for him? Any other comments about the Bravewriter class from the natural writer's perspective? TIA, Sandra OOOOHHHH!!! That's different :-) He used Kidswrite Int., The Expository Essay Class and the SAT prep class. I think he also did the literature thing online with Julie's dh. He loved these classes because they are interactive. They have a message board and all of their work is posted and critiqued by the teacher and the other kids in the class. It was a very positive experience for him AND for my older dd , who was as writing phobic (or even MORE writing phobic) than my younger son. They really loved sharing their ideas and writing with someone outside our family. It gave them a purpose for their endeavors. They also met some really nice homeschool kids with whom they still correspond:D Bravewriter was great for my kids and I plan to have my ds take some extra classes through them next year. HTH Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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