This class was everything I had hoped it would be. The amount of detailed feedback on Katie’s writing was fantastic, and your turnaround times for grading were incredible. The workload was manageable, and because your expectations were high, Katie’s writing improved and she learned how to work to a deadline and a grading rubric.
Angie
We have decided to budget for an IEW class each year from now on because our experience with you has been so good. While I am learning so much, I still feel like you are my teacher and his! Thank you.
Wendi
One of the online students commented that she loves the class because "I can feel myself getting smarter and smarter."
Your class has been such a wonderful experience for Ryan, and a huge relief for me. IEW really does shine among online providers. We've used different providers for online classes here and there, and IEW is one of our two most favorite. As a parent I appreciate how organized it is, how user friendly the interface is, and that the instructor actually takes charge and doesn't allow the kids to abuse the chat box. Ryan's really good about toeing that line, but he finds it distracting when other kids are constantly typing -- as if you're sitting in a real classroom and everyone's talking out of turn, and sadly it's been a real issue with other providers. Finally, you have been amazing in answering questions (Ryan's and my own) so promptly, providing helpful and timely feedback on assignments, and guiding and encouraging us when Ryan struggled here and there. We really couldn't be happier, and we are looking forward to our next online experience with IEW!
Ms. Bagley
If someone had bet me a million dollars a few years ago that I would be accepted to the college of my choice due to my writing skills, I most likely would have just laughed. A few years ago, I scarcely had the confidence to write a simple paragraph. But that was then, and this is now. I’m in! Having received my acceptance letter from Christendom College recently, I cannot express how truly grateful I am … for your priceless teaching. Had it not been for my “expressive writing” as stated in the letter, I might not have been accepted because my SAT score was below their acceptance requirement. As the ancient Chinese proverb goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” You have done just that for me. Two years of IEW classes with you have given me a foundation that will last a lifetime. … I am forever thankful for all the work you and IEW have done and are continuing to do. May God bless you and your family!
Katarina
I really appreciate the time you have spent on this class, and I see the growth in Breda and Jordan's writing.
Suzanne
Thank you so much for teaching this class! I can't tell you how much it has blessed me to see the improvements in Curtis's writing and therefore his improved confidence as well. With all your experience and wisdom, it has been so beneficial to have you instruct him, correct his work with a seasoned eye, and encourage him with such nice comments. It's amazing what a few words of encouragement do in giving a person the desire to work harder. Plus I think there is a little more incentive to work harder when his work is not just turned in for Mom to correct!
I just wanted to express my thanks.
Jennifer
I am so appreciative that you are teaching them writing. It seems to be a really good program, and writing is not my strength. It is holding us accountable, teaching us a lot, and my boys are writing!
Stacy
Your teaching has been a HUGE blessing to my family. I never thought I would see the day that Tim would enjoy writing and actually call it his favorite subject. From my perspective, the class has progressed seamlessly and has more than met my expectations. Thank you for your promptness in returning papers and your encouraging words for Tim. This was our very first experience using IEW, and I am just delighted with the results. I hope (and pray!) that additional course offerings will be available next year! Tim is eagerly awaiting the start of the second semester for now!
Wendy
This class is such a God-send for us. Andrew loves the format and has come a long way from hating writing.
Irina
I cannot tell you how amazing your class has been. Damien never enjoyed writing in the past. It was like trying to pull teeth to get him to write. With you and your class, he LOVES it! It's so easy for him to just follow the method, and he loves the opportunity to try to fit in great vocabulary words. I could not be happier with a class. You have really helped him turn around completely in the writing department. He loves words (and talking!). It was just getting him to want to write them down that was the problem. He never knew HOW exactly. So thank you very much!
Mellisa
Personally I can't express enough how wonderfully pleased we have been with the online class. My daughter is in the seventh grade, and has improved greatly in her grammar, vocabulary, and writing. The concepts are taught very specifically, and help is always just an email away. The balance between parental involvement, teacher instruction, and grading fits us just right. Homework is outlined very specifically along with detailed checklists and recommended daily schedules. It has allowed my daughter to feel independent and confident with what is required and has given me the chance to help her as needed while freeing me from the burden of lesson planning. It has been a pure joy.
Kelly
I've been extremely happy with the online class! It is pretty much exactly what I have been looking for for years. The feedback my son receives is very helpful--just the right amount of corrections/suggestions to not be overwhelming for him and always done in an encouraging manner. It is also exceptionally prompt. Often, he will submit an assignment in the evening and have it back by the time we start school the next morning. I struggled with feedback also; he didn't really want to hear feedback from me, and I didn't always know the why behind why a change should be made. I highly recommend the online classes if you don't have any local classes or if you just don't have time to add any more running around to your schedule.
Just this morning I was thinking about contacting IEW to let them know how much I appreciate the online class my son has been taking! He is in the second semester of Level C, and these classes have been invaluable in teaching him skills which he is using in ways I would not have been able to teach. For me, it has been so helpful to have the experience and wisdom that his teacher, Pamela White, brings through not only her instruction in the online classroom, but also in her corrections and advice/feedback on completed work that is turned in by the student. Edits can be difficult to do objectively by a parent and may even be more readily accepted and applied by the student.
I wish I could go so far as to say my son now loves writing (as I have read sometimes happens!). I'll still hope that this may eventually be the case, but what I love is that he doesn't struggle like he used to before he had the tools, which are so well taught in the class. Pamela is very encouraging in her grading comments and engaging to listen to in the classroom. And don't think it's too late to start this program if your student is already in high school. My son is a junior, and last year was the first year we started working on the program together. It went well, but having him take the online class this year has given him huge strides over what he learned last year (before the online class). I am a huge fan and wholeheartedly recommend the online version!
Jennifer
First, let me say that I am really LOVING this online class. Although I am a good writer and a pretty critical editor, it has been many years since I took classes myself, and I have forgotten some of the grammar rules. Our online instructor has been very prompt with answers to our questions. She gives good feedback on my student's writing. Despite the considerable expense, I am happy I signed us up for this class. It has been a reassurance to me to see that my student is doing well with what we have already been doing. For those parents who aren't as comfortable with writing as I am, I think this class would be an answer to prayer!
Wallene
My son is a bright but sometimes unmotivated learner. We tried an online class (that came highly recommended) because he wanted something "online." This first experience was regretful, as the teacher was nit-picky and had a punitive style. It actually made writing and grammar more of a chore for him, and he hated every assignment. Then we found IEW, and I decided to try again. This class is organized and fun. The instructor genuinely cares that the students learn and apply knowledge. The class is flexible, and the teacher very accessible. The online sessions are fun, and the assignments are doable. The feedback on the writing is instructive and positive. The teacher is very clear about contacting her if something is not understood. I highly recommend this class.
Ann
I have been very happy with the online class. My daughter is in tenth grade and is taking an IEW online class. We are new to IEW, and though I felt okay beginning the program at home with her 9-year-old brother, I did not feel competent to work with a high school student using it. I confess that I had never come up with a consistent writing program for my daughter, had often tried to have her work on too many things at once, and had done far too much critiquing of her writing. She likes working with Pamela White much better than she does with me. Like a previous responder commented, my student also prefers not to let me be her editor, but she is consistently responsible in keeping up with the assignments on her own. I highly recommend the online classes.
Siobhain
My daughter, who is in eighth grade, is currently taking the second semester of an IEW online class. We have been extremely happy and satisfied with the class. The instructor, Pamela White, is wonderful! My daughter loves the class and has learned a lot about writing and grammar. Ms. White gives excellent feedback on the writing assignments and always responds to my our email questions quickly and constructively. She gives very thorough instructions for the writing assignments and presents the class in a way that makes learning fun. I highly recommend enrollment in an IEW class. Enrolling our daughter this past fall was one of the best decisions we've made regarding our homeschool!
Laurie
Our daughter enjoys the online writing class. She anxiously awaits Tuesdays to participate in the classroom. The feedback on the writing assignments has far exceeded my expectations. The teacher makes herself available continuously. We will definitely continue the relationship with IEW. Looking forward to many more happy semesters of writing.
Kathy
Our instructor goes above and beyond, is prompt on feedback, and encouraging. The class also uses the grammar book, Fix It!, which has helped my son tremendously. The class has been so convenient and effective.
Teresa
IEW has been familiar in our home for many years now. My daughter's ability to write outstanding essays (which got her into UC Berkeley), were in a large part helped by taking IEW courses both live and on DVD. Because of the report writing techniques learned, she can get a paper done in college in half the time it takes many of her friends.
With our son, we continued on with the same process but found it more of a challenge since he was only wanting to do the minimum amount of work. This became a problem, as I tried to get him to improve his papers per the homework assignments. While I enjoy grading and improving sentences and paragraphs in an essay, I was very weak in helping him with grammar corrections.
After hearing about the online class, I reviewed the demo and decided to enroll our son. The experience with the online class has been much more than I expected. Not only is my reluctant writer learning to pen essays, he is getting grammar lessons in detail, which I was not expecting at all. Pamela White is an amazing teacher who thoughtfully explains the grammar in detail. Every correction comes back with an explanation of why the word needs to be changed, along with a lot of encouraging words on where he is doing well. Also, when one parent asks a question on the work or grammar, Pamela forwards that question and answer to those whom she thinks will benefit from that information.
Dominic is just one student in a class, and I am sure Pamela White has many classes. Based on the amount of attention and personal communication we have received from her, if we did not know better, we would think Dominic was being tutored in a class by himself.
Judy
J is signed up for the continuation course next year. He really enjoys it, and I am thrilled with his increased confidence and comfort when writing. I wish there was a summer class! He would take another class also if it was offered.
Cathy
This year writing was easier for W than in any previous school year he has had. It was a terrific morale booster, absolutely not a waste of his time! He has really struggled with writing in the past, and this year found him writing, writing, writing with confidence and purpose.
The coup de grace was the last paper on his pet. No source text, simply write about your pet. These kinds of writing assignments were awful for him (and me, too) in years past. I was reading over his shoulder while he was typing it, and he said with a big smile on his face, "I get to write about the cat!" That's right, he actually used the words get to. And it was a good paper, quickly written. The exact same prompt given in third grade was a nightmare!
There really is no way for me to express to you what a giant accomplishment this is for him as a student, and for you as his teacher. He even said to me today, "Yeah, I like Ms. Tribble being my teacher. She has taught me well this year, and I've never even met her! She lives on the other side of the country, for heaven's sake! Isn't that amazing?"
Anna
I want to thank you for doing such a wonderful job teaching this year. My daughter so looked forward to class every week, and she was amazed that kids all over the US were learning what she was. Very cool. Anyway, thanks again for a fantastic experience! I'd say the guinea pig class went well.
Sydney
I wanted to thank you for your teaching so far. Corynn was so impressed last week that she decided to wake up at 4:45am to make class today. She is hooked! She said that she felt so connected and learned so much. Her enthusiasm is priceless for me. You have a gift, and I thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for your patience and great feedback on her assignments!
Courtney, Japan
I really enjoy learning and putting stuff together to figure it out. Being in the live class helps me develop the ability to think on my toes, write while listening, and answer a question before other students. I am very competitive, so I enjoy typing fast and trying to figure out sentences or sentence errors before other people. Can't wait for next week.
I haven't liked writing the last few years, but since taking this course, it's made writing much easier and much more fun! I look forward to classes each week and enjoy applying the cool new style rules to my homework. Thank you so much for making writing both fun and interesting.
Corynn
Thanks again for all the tips and help. You're officially the person who made me love writing instead of dreading it. Thank you also for your hard work, dedication, and patience! We're both enjoying your class and are learning a lot. Being accountable to another teacher has been very helpful.
Kathy
You are so wise and always encouraging. Hannah LOVES creative writing because of you. She said those exact words this morning. They made my heart sing. Wish I had learned to write the IEW way. I might have learned to love it as well. My problem was that I could never think of anything to write about. The only instruction I was given was just to "write". YIKES! It makes me shudder to think of it even now. The only way I knew how to teach Genna and Hannah was to do the same thing! That began my search, which ended when I found you. So you truly are an answer to prayer for many, and you are lovingly ministering correct grammar and a love of writing to every kiddo you teach. Well done!
Andrea
Thank you again for sharing your talent with our family. My kids recognize how a little over a semester’s worth of instruction has improved their writing tremendously. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Monica
We LOVE them (online class recordings). He wants to wake up to attend tomorrow morning … I have bragged to so many about the online course here and how professional and perfectly geared to age levels the teachers are.You bless us!!
Mrs. McLaurina, Japan (whose son is normally sleeping during the online class meeting)
I am so excited about this class. At 43, I am finally learning how to write, and my 11-year-old reluctant writer daughter is beginning to soar. I have been sitting with her in each class and have been beside her every step of the way through each day's assignments. As of this week, she did her Fix-Its alone and is gaining her independence with every aspect of her writing.
Mrs. Britt
I wanted to let you know how much the class is already helping Katarina. Regarding the last writing assignment, she commented, "It practically wrote itself!" That was music to my ears, especially coming from my child who really dislikes writing! If only I had known about IEW when she was younger. It would have saved a lot of tears. My younger ones are using IEW from the start.
Also, to think we nearly put her in a private high school considered to be top notch. The students sit mainly in dark rooms all day with PowerPoint slides running. They writeing tons of papers withoutand not having much interaction with the teachers. The papers get returned all marked up, but it's not conducive to learning. Here, she is "in class" via the Internet, and it's much more personal than a class where the teacher is physically present!
Heidi
I am happy with Samantha's progress. A current assignment really showed me how much Samantha has learned; she had to write a paragraph for her history class about a project she made. I helped her find source documents, and she did the rest, making her outline and writing the paragraph. As I complimented her on her paragraph, she stated, "I can write well without doing all of the dress-ups," to which I replied, "Samantha, you added the dress-ups without knowing, automatically. That's what is supposed to happen." She answered, "Oh," with a smile.
Shannon
I cannot tell you how much Tori and Ann are enjoying your class. It has been such a pleasure to see them use the thesaurus with enthusiasm, incorporate new vocabulary in their daily dialogue, work to make their writing colorful and succinct, and practice using various sentence openers for variety. Suddenly, grammar is not the nuisance it used to be. It has taken on a new purpose and meaning. We are all learning, especially the in-home editor!
Sue
This is the first online class that we have been a part of, and I must say that Monica and I both are really enjoying it. I wish I would have found you and IEW much sooner! I already see amazing improvement in her writing in other composition assignments. Thank you for your great feedback and comments on her work as well. Being a part of the class on Wednesdays is a great change of scenery for her as well: asking questions, listening to a live teacher, being a part of the class activities. So, yes, we are very pleased and can't even suggest any improvements for you!
Chris
[My student] is enjoying your teaching very much, and we are so thankful to have found IEW!
Chrissy
We have found your writing class to be very beneficial. I really like the idea of a chart for the students to check off tasks as they are accomplished. This gives them such a clear idea as to what is expected.
We have found the feedback to be very beneficial. I am a terrible writer and have been very insecure about having Joshua ready for college writing. Since he has been participating in this class, I have seen him strive harder to do a good job. It has been such a blessing to be relieved of grading writing papers! This class has made it evident to me that I was not grading Joshua’s paper’s well enough. There have been many areas where you have made comments and suggestions for improvement that I would have just missed. I think Joshua will leave this class much more prepared than I could have ever done. I have decided that I want my second child to do an online writing class because this one has been so beneficial.
Class time has been very engaging for Joshua. When I look up and see him smiling in writing class, I know that he is really enjoying the class. He really did not like writing class with me and I never got smiles during class!
Sheila
I am seeing great improvement with Niah! I must say that I am happy with her growth after using some of your suggestions. I am 110 percent pleased. Niah will take class next semester.
Denetrice
I have two goals for Zac in taking this class. First, I want him to have an outside deadline to meet, as he needs to learn to manage his time more effectively. Second, he needs the writing skills. Your feedback has been very helpful in improving his ability to write well. I feel he has learned a great deal on story writing, as that has been the focus for the first half of this semester. Zac feels that the class times are informative and helpful.
Cheryl
Ben has been really enjoying the class. It has been really good for him to have the accountability and feedback from a person other than his mother! He has a natural talent for writing, but he is inclined to think that he doesn’t need much instruction. I really like the way you set up the class and lead it while “giving way” to parents to maintain our role as the overall head of the student.
Michelle
Matt is really responding well to your class. He really enjoyed listening to the last one, especially at the end when you told one of his classmates that he shouldn't tell everyone that he waits until the last minute to complete his assignment. He appreciates your sense of humor, and so do I. You are such a great teacher! Such a breath of fresh air.
Amber
Jesse and I went to our local community college to check out the dual enrollment/Running Start program. In order to enroll, students must pass the COMPASS tests. Jesse got a 94% on the writing portion! He also did very well on the reading portion (84%, I think). He did so well on these tests that I started to cry.
Lori
I wanted to write to thank you for teaching the boys' writing class. They both improved their SAT writing scores tremendously from their PSAT writing scores. Mark scored in the 88th percentile, and Matthew scored in the 90th percentile—with 10s on both of their essays!
Lee Ann
I wanted to tell you that you are truly helping Jenna and mewrite better. I have some extremely difficult teachers in my masters program, who take off for the most minute details that are mistakes. I have used your notes and concepts throughout my papers (between 6–8 a week), and I now have an A in every class I have taken. Even adding adjectives and adverbs to add character to my writing has helped. Thanks for all your hard work.
Jennifer
I miss the online classes and writing assignments already! I have enjoyed being in your class this year, and I am truly thankful for all that you have taught me. I never have really had a solid writing education before I took this class. I cannot believe that I have been taught all of this in the last year! Writing has been my favorite subject this year (including Literature) because of you. To tell you the honest truth, I despised writing before I took this class. I dreaded having to write something and all the things that you had to do with it (researching, thinking, etc.). However, I love to write now.
Julea
I’d like to thank you with all my heart for teaching me for the past fifteen weeks. This course has really been so helpful for me in my writing. Thank you for taking time to mark and read through my stories/reports! You have been so encouraging to me and always helped me through whatever I did not know. I'm so sad that IEW course A has finished. Time really flies! You have been the best teacher I have ever had. Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MRS. TRIBBLE! I will always have good memories of this class with the wonderful teacher who always answered all the questions we asked. May God continue to bless you day by day.
Christie
I am just so thankful for everything Jordan is learning in this class. I really did not know what to expect with an online class, but this has been great. He loves knowing exactly what he needs to do everyday. I will be signing up his older brother next year and my daughter when she is a freshman.
Linda
