Brave Writer Online Classes
I have so much to write about Brave Writer, but here I will stick to our online class experience. I signed up my reluctant writer to take an online class that was called "Kidswrite Intermediate" on the Brave Writer website. Don't let the name fool you, this wasn't just for "kids", but is a class designed for high school writers to focus on the rhetorical imagination and thinking behind writing. Our instructor, Angela, was so great at encouraging my student and myself when I needed some extra help with instruction at home. We would check in every day on the website and read through the assignments together. They were exercises that challenged my dyslexic, dysgraphic learner to use his thinking power in his words.
I did have him take the class in the fall, during his busy football season, so it was a little difficult to keep up with the pace, but it was also a great way to kick off writing for this school year. However, our instructor was excellent at working with us and allowing him to make adjustments to have a little extra time to complete some of his work within the overall time frame of the 6 week class. These classes are also asynchronous, which means that you can work on them any time of day or night, not at a set time. This was unusual for online classes that I have researched and helpful to us.
After the online class, we chose to continue with the second half of the Brave Writer curriculum, Help for High School. We are still working through it at our own pace and are learning about open and closed essays, exploratory essays, and expository essays. Another important note is that now, Kidswrite Intermediate has recently split into three separate classes for more in-depth writing instruction in the Essay Prep series. I would love for either of my kids to take a Brave Writer online class again!
Classes By Beth Plus CBB+
I came across CBB+ last spring when I was looking at the endless options for high school curriculum for the coming school year. I wanted some outside accountability for the kids, as well as some help with subjects that I do not feel like I have the time to learn well enough to teach the material. I looked at several options for online home school classes and this one was our first choice! One reason is that I was actually able to call Beth and talk to her on the phone. She was very helpful and kind on the phone. I had lots of questions and she answered them honestly and with as much information as she could give.
I really appreciate that Beth's company started and still focuses on home school students, with real life home educators as instructors. They understand home schooling and have done it themselves. It's helpful that every class is also recorded so if we have to miss a class, my daughter and I can easily catch up right away and not miss a week of instruction. The instructors are super knowledgeable and organized. There is a syllabus for each class and they meet live online once a week. We have been able to contact the instructors through email in a very timely fashion when we have questions and they are very accessible to the students through live classes, office hours, and email.
My daughter has been able to learn not only good solid writing skills, but also has been able to help other students while she learns to edit through peer reviews in her Essay Styles class. She is also enjoying learning Spanish from a teacher who has lived as a missionary in Spain for 30 years! Her Spanish instructor has fun facts and cultural information to share, as well as a love of the language. I plan on continuing with CBB+ classes for my student next year.
Both of these options are classes that I would highly recommend to friends who home educate and are looking for online high school level classes. Go check them out!
