New Classes This Fall

I have gotten a sneak peek at some of IEW's new products and I am so excited about some new literature courses for high school. I will be offering these classes in my home or by e-mail. Watch for the IEW catalog! As soon as I can view the entire book, I'll be posting more details about the courses.
I may also begin to offer classes in and/or grading for Notgrass' history, literature, and government classes. After looking over their website at the request of our co-op's director, I am excited by what I see.
Do you have a curriculum you would like to use but are unsure of grading? Feel free to ask me to look over it, I am willing to take on more variety in my editing and tutoring.

Paper Editing: So How Does It Work?

FAQs

1. What do I do first? Request a student information sheet and determine which service will provide what you need.
2. How much does it cost? This depends on how much you need edited. Single assignments are $6.00 per page. A 20 page package (about a semester of writing at a high school level) is $100.00, saving you $20.00. If you are using one of IEW's writing DVD classes or theme-based books, I have packages available for each of those. Please contact me for specific information.
3. Why do you call it editing and not grading? I prefer the word "editing" because I don't like grades. Especially when I am working with students online, I am not able to get to know them well enough to know how much effort each assignment takes, where they have improved, or what their weeks have been like. In editing, I am simply showing them how to improve it. All writers, including NY Times best-selling authors, have at least one editor. I use a pass/improve system. Either it is fine and we can go on to the next assignment, or you need to meet these requirements before you can move on. I encourage all my students to make the changes I suggest, not just file the paper and go on to the next assignment. Only in this way will their writing improve.
4. How do we send you the assignments? I prefer MS-Word attachments to e-mail messages, but I can also accept documents in e-mail messages, html attachments, and works documents. I can also do documents that are sent via postal mail, but I require a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) to return the assignment to you.
5. How do you add your comments? For most assignments, I place my comments in footnotes on each page. On some, I will turn on the track changes feature and make the changes, especially when it is something that I can show better than explain, or the paper needs drastic changes. Sometimes I will even re-write a section of the paper to show the student how the changes will make the writing better. Finally, sometimes I will use Word's comment feature if that fits the situation best. I rely on you, the parent or student, to tell me when my method is effective or when I need to switch to something that makes it easier for you.
6. Will you assign a grade? I'd really rather not, for the reasons mentioned above. I will however, use a rubric or checklist that you provide to show a percentage completed if you need a grade for a transcript.

Welcome!

After numerous requests for information about my writing classes and editing services, I decided to set up this blog. I will be posting class information, announcements of new services, book reviews, and comments from families who have used my services. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

God has blessed me with the opportunities to work from home while educating my children and loving my husband. For the past nine years, I have worked Andrew Pudewa and the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), teaching classes, evaluating papers through e-mail, and writing materials for IEW. God has been good. I look forward to getting to know more families as I help you educate your children.