Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Winter Classes still open!

Seems we’ve done it. We’ve finally come up with enough classes that families who want classes will get them. We still have openings in every class, every session of the winter class schedule.

If you missed yesterday’s sign up, don’t worry. You can probably still get in the class of your choice. Here are the classes that are nearly closed, so act soon if you want to be in them:

  • SAT/ACT Essay Writing: One space left
  • Expository Essay: Five spaces left

All other classes have plenty of room.

Here’s what moms say about Brave Writer classes:

Kidswrite Basic:

I would describe (Kidswrite Basic) as treating YOURself to a personal tutor! As homeschooling parents, we’ve done so much on our own, it’s a nice reward to have someone do the thinking and handholding and teaching.

It is worth every penny to pay someone else to read your child’s work. Even though the point is to better equip the mom to walk through the process – the walk should still include an outside commenter if at all possible. It was such a joy for the girls!

I really love Brave Writer’s ideas on teaching writing and never knew quite how much until the class. The class showed me exactly how to use The Writer’s Jungle. I needed the hand holding to walk me through TWJ. I’m so excited about writing this year. I thought we hadn’t really done much “school” writing in the past, but found out that all the lists and stories written in free time and narration is all a huge part of writing. Why do we get so caught up in thinking only about that dreaded elementary school report, when we hated it so much when we were little?

SAT/ACT Essay:

As we’re concluding our homeschooling journey in two weeks, I just wanted to say thank you so much for being an extremely valuable part of what we did. Thanks for helping AJ be a thoughtful writer, and thanks for helping Ben get scores on the SAT that allowed him to get the money he needed to go to his first choice but very expensive college. We will always remember your generosity on his behalf, as well as recommend your writing classes with enthusiasm whenever the opportunity arises.

Here’s what a student said:
It was fun. Mrs. Bogart did a great job teaching, and what she said was not confusing. The other students in the class were friendly and encouraging.

Here’s what his mom said:
The writing steps were given in a logical manner, with exercises to build up to the whole essays. The prompt examples were invaluable. We would not have otherwise known what to expect, or what the test graders were expecting for a response. The times for the first assignments were longer. The subsequent writing times gradually honed down to the time given on the “real thing.” Much encouragement was given between the students and from Mrs. Bogart. I might have liked a little more instructional comment on some of the essays, but that can be added as a parent if you read the instructional material and have a good rapport with the student. Frankly, I don’t know how Mrs. Bogart keeps up with all the corrections – it is truly amazing to see it in action!! I enjoyed learning both from comments she made on my student’s essays, and her comments on the other student’s essays. I also learned from the writing styles of the other students. It was encouraging to see the ideas of other students across the world. As a parent, it made me proud of the youth of today. The students were intelligent and thoughtful; they wanted to make a difference in their world. This class was worth the investment.

Just So Stories:

Mrs. Rachel I would like to thank you for this wonderful class that has helped my creativity and helped expand my outlook on the world around me. Now every time I see the animals God created I constantly go into “Kipling mode” and think of comical, endearing stories about how they got their features! (13 year old student)

Kidswrite Intermediate and the Essay:

I’m writing to thank you for the help you provided me and my son through your classes. Walter took several of your courses, and I took a curriculum building class. We both learned a great deal. Walter started college this year and his freshman English professor is so impressed by his writing she is encouraging him to be an English major. She even asked him if she could use one of his papers as an example for future classes. Walter hasn’t decided on a major, but so many doors are opening because he is confident in his writing. Thank you for providing all the help and resources through the years.

If you need a mid-year shot in the arm, someone to hold your hand or offer your kids valuable feedback on their writing, winter quarter is the perfect time to take an online class. You’ll be indoors, your kids will be ready for a change of pace and you’ll like having the support in your writing program.

Registration information can be found here.

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Winter class registration is today

2008 Winter Class Registration is today: November 13, 12:00 p.m. est

Registration will go live on the website on the class schedule page at 12:00 p.m. EST. What you want to do to register is to come to the website, click on the link to the winter class schedule, then refresh the page until the registration information and links show up at noon. If the registration links don’t show at 12:00 on your page even though you are refreshing the screen, try opening the page in a new window. I’ve heard from some moms that when the old page is cached, it will not reveal the changed page with registration form unless you open it in a new window.

Registration for Brave Writer 2008 winter classes opens at 12:00 p.m. EST, today, November 13th (Tuesday). Read all about the class schedule and registration details here.

For those new to Brave Writer or elementary/junior high kids:

For junior high and high school:

For college bound high school students:

For detailed descriptions of these classes and how our classes function, please visit our website:

http://www.bravewriter.com/Classes/winter_2008.html

Classes fill quickly. We have increased our offerings this year to accommodate the demand. Still, if you are serious about getting your child registered, please do so tomorrow. The SAT/ACT class will be the one that is in most demand as we can only take 25 students.

We look forward to serving you!

Julie

P.S. The One Thing series continues in the winter quarter. We have not yet opened registration, but the classes will be as follows:

You can read more about these workshops here.

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Tomorrow is registration day!

Be sure to check out the class schedule and to prepare for registration. This past fall, we were able to accommodate just about all the registrations on day one. However, we did fill up our classes mostly within that first week. The SAT/ACT class always fills up quickly so if that is the one you want, register early.

Email me today if you have any questions.

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How the six principles apply: Writing and teens

I’ve elucidated some of the ideas that have been meaningful and useful to me in raising teens and working with them over the years. What I wanted to do now is to move into how these ideas connect to writing (and by extrapolation, perhaps, other subjects you are teaching).

I’ve suggested that teens need adventure, they aren’t lazy, but bored, they have interests that interest them, and that teens deserve a social life and live in a wired world.

These principles have to do with honoring your teens’ evolving sense of personhood. As we know from all the Brave Writer writing advice given over the years, the place we start in writing is with the writer, not with writing forms or skills. We begin by recognizing that the writer is someone whose mind is already brimming with experiences, ideas, thoughts, hopes, information, insight and humor that deserve to be recorded and shared with others. We yield to the process of nurturing writers, not requiring writing. We look for ways to validate that emerging writer’s voice. We celebrate successes, we minimize errors fully confident that over time, fluency will come through repeated excursions into written language, just like we saw spoken errors as passing phases on the journey toward fluency in speaking English.

With our teens, then, writing at this stage of development ought to be (if at all possible) the flowering of greater and greater self-awareness and ease in the act of writing. In other words, just like your 10-13 year old never thinks about speaking (does so easily, in his or her own voice, speaking what’s on his or her mind freely), so your high school writer ought to be more and more able to use written language to communicate ideas, thoughts, arguments and insights. Fluency (ease) comes earlier than competence (effective argument or communication), just like in speaking. Kids can talk easily even if they can’t yet enter a debate or give a speech or teach a class.

Teens need adventure, they need not to be bored, they need stimulation in areas that interest them. Use these principles to your advantage in writing. It’s easier to write an argumentative essay about animal rights when your teen volunteers at the local zoo or vet, than it is to write about the death penalty, a topic he’s never studied. Literary analysis goes better when the teen writes about an author that she loves. If Jane Austen is her favorite, why write about Hemingway? The same skills can be learned using the material she knows best.

Remember the value of direct experience in adding depth and insight to writing. Trips to foreign countries, service to others, working in a political campaign, a part-time job, serving on the library literature board for teens, varsity sports, musical performance… these experiences contribute to your teens’ growing expertise and competence level. Allow these to show themselves in their writing.

Likewise, don’t forget the value of peer relationships and technology in nurturing your writers. Writing and literature discussion groups create natural spaces for sharing writing. Classes (whether in person or over the Internet) offer opportunities to mix with peers as well as to compete with them while working on writing. Writing also benefits from teenagers’ hunger to master technology: skillful use of search engines, reading other writing online, facility with Word and PowerPoint, online courses and so on.

What it all boils down to really is this: see the world through your teens’ eyes. Don’t forget what it was like to be a teen. While they may do “dumb” things occasionally due to the underdeveloped frontal lobe, they also benefit immensely from deep engagement and investment into ideas, people and experiences that cause them to make connections between their world and the larger world around them. Writing is one tool that serves to integrate those disparate bits of information into a more thoughtful whole. When your teens take what they know (or think they know) and put it onto paper, they are required to slow down, examine their ideas and submit them for examination to others who can guide them in the process. Teens who feel the support and enthusiasm of their parents during this odyssey are the lucky ones.

Posted in Brave Writer Philosophy, General, One Thing, Tips for Teen Writers | 2 Comments »

Happy Birthday to me!

I started a long post following up our discussion about teens and high school when my husband surprised me with breakfast treats this morning for my 46th birthday. So needless to say, I ditched the post and ate Walnut Braided Pastry with hot tea. Now I’ve got to run to Liam’s math tutoring lesson so the aforementioned post will have to be put on ice until I get back.

I can’t believe I’m on the back side of the forties! I still think I graduated from college, oh, say just a few years ago. 🙂 Hugs to all of you wonderful families who’ve made my forties rich.

See you later today.

Posted in General | 7 Comments »