Ms. A was super encouraging whenever I submitted an assignment, but that didn’t mean she failed to show where I had room for growth. She was always detailed and thorough in giving me tips and help where my writing needed it most.

Ms. A was very engaging in the way she presented the material, even when the topic was less than exciting. Also, I never had any doubts that she wanted us to do our very best, and that she would help us accomplish that.

I wouldn’t have improved half as much without the wonderful feedback that she gave me. I’ve had teachers who’ve just said positive things about my writing, and that got me nowhere, so I was extremely grateful for how invested she was in helping us become better writers.

The feedback given was very helpful and was presented in a nice way.

I feel very prepared for college classes. Prior to this class, I had next to no knowledge on how to properly format an essay nor how to cite correctly. However, I feel very confident in my ability to write an essay thanks to this class.

My mistakes or weak points were mentioned which helped me work on those areas, and the positive feedback was encouraging.

The best part of this class by far was the corrections that the teachers made to our assignments. It wasn’t always fun especially later in the year but it’s what made you a better writer. I also really like how the class held you accountable. I am not self motivated whatsoever so having a teacher that expected assignments turned in gave me that incentive to keep going and continue learning.

Eli has really surprised me. He made sure he did his work everyday without having to remind him. He really worked hard at this class and his writing has improved significantly. He is more clear in his thoughts and better with organizing them. I enjoyed the personal interaction he got with his teacher and the help and guidance he received with the feedback.

I feel like my writing skills have improved leaps and bounds since this class. To be honest, I didn’t really want to take this class when my parents first told me that they were going to put me in it. I was worried that it would be too difficult and that I would fail it. I was wrong to worry, because from day one it was very straightforward and simple. I am now able to actually write paragraphs and essays with confidence, when at the beginning of this class I thought that I would fail or barely get through it. This class has helped me so much.

Probably the main element I was looking for in a creative writing class was an instructor who would actually read my work and give constructive feedback on it. I really felt that it was imperative in the current season of my writing career. This course definitely delivered!

All the time and words, Ms. Athena put into her feedback, helping you better apply a particular device, shows you how much she cares about her students and it meant so much to me 🙂  She is always so uplifting, cheering you on, coming along side you in your writing journey. I have been so thankful for her feedback and have grown as a storyteller through her advice and encouragement 🙂

Ms. Lester was always there if I needed help and all of her comments were the perfect blend of helpfulness and encouragement. I don’t remember ever feeling overwhelmed with editing because she reminded me how important the process is.

Mrs. Locke displayed a cheerful and professional attitude. She creates an inspiring atmosphere that balances the rigor.

Any time I emailed her she was always quick to respond and understood most any struggle or questions I had. I left every conversation with a better understanding of the assignment, and feeling encouraged by her emails. She always left thoughtful comments at the end of our discussion post, and she did that for everyone’s post every time.

My teacher was always supportive and helpful when answering any of my questions and/or when giving feedback. Her superb instruction helped me progress at a fast rate, while also building my confidence as a writer. 

Bella’s teacher is helpful and always advising on how Bella can improve her writing. Her critiques are caring but helpful; they praise but also advise on what needs improvements.

Nicole

My daughter’s writing is improving every week. The lessons are simple and understandable and I really appreciate how Mr. Stephens gets feedback from the grading teachers and can recognize if he needs to go back over something or if he needs to slow down.

Renee

I have looked high and low for a writing course for my son who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. The thought process for my son to write even one sentence takes much time and effort. The feedback for daily assignments is phenomenal. The teacher meets Calvin where he is at and gently guides him with encouragement to a place of understanding with the assignment.

Ronda

I just wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed your creative writing class this semester and I have learned so much from you! I have enjoyed the processes, hard work, and encouragement from you to push through to the end.  I most definitely have grown as a writer in many ways, and I will take the knowledge from this class and use it towards my future writing efforts. You really were an absolutely amazing teacher! Thank you so much!

Katherine

Thank you so much for teaching Allysa the Creative Writing class.  She absolutely LOVED the class and was sad when it was over.  I really appreciate all your feedback to her; I know she learned quite a bit this past semester. 

Eileen

What an experience this has been! I have learned so much from you; tips and tricks I will carry with me for the rest of my writing journey. […] Thank you for EVERYTHING you instilled in us… not just “how to become a great creative writer”, but also to write what we love, take the time to perfect it, and NEVER GIVE UP. 

Hannah

I just want to tell you that Essentials in Writing is a blessing to me. What a great writing curriculum.! I also love the grading that you offer! I’ve used it with my oldest son for 9th and 10th grade and am continuing this year for 11th. My youngest son will start EIW8 this year. I especially want to let you know that I also love EIL! We used 9th grade last year. While I do miss the spiral bound books for EIL10 , I absolutely love the layout for grade 10! The new format is amazing! Also I am so excited to see that you have labeled this year what literature is being read: world, American, or British. That is a huge timesaver for me. Thank Mr. Stephens for making high school easier for this homeschool mom! God bless you and your crew.

I hope this note finds you well. First of all, I want to let you know that we have tried SO many different programs over the last year. We have never loved any program the way that we love EIW! I am so thrilled we discovered it. I have my 12 year old working through the 6th grade level. My 11 year old was behind on some of the foundational skills, so I started him on the 3rd grade level in May, even though he is technically going into 5th grade in the fall. The program is truly building his confidence and giving him the tools he so desperately needed to learn. Thank you again for your help. Please share with Mr. Stephens my gratitude for all the work that was put into designing such an exceptional program.

I just wished we would have started this program long ago!!

We’ve been using EIW since my son was in fourth grade. He just completed level eight, and I am amazed at his growth this year! Most of his papers were still fairly basic until literally this month. He did an astounding job at his research paper! Keep at it mamas… This program really works.

Let me just say that I taught English for 11 years in Christian schooling, & I had a year of college English. We are taking it a little slow starting out 8th grade because my son does not like nor does he do so well in English. We are BOTH learning from these videos and teaching from Mr. Stephens!! My son is loving having an “online teacher.” I just wished we would have started this program long ago!!

Hi! I am currently using EIW with my two 8th graders and they love it!! We just decided to pull our 3rd grader out of public to homeschool him and he will start level 3 on Monday. I absolutely LOVE this program! My 15 year old daughter struggles with ADHD and anxiety and this program was made for her!! Small chunks, concepts explained well, not overwhelming…it’s perfect! We have used other writing curriculum in the past that was so overwhelming. This program is much more manageable and since the concepts are taught in small chunks, my kids (especially my daughter) feel such a sense of accomplishment when finishing an assignment. We live near Charlotte, NC and we have 4 kids…22,15,14, and 8. Happy to be in this group!

I started homeschooling my kids (ages 12, 11, and 5) a little over a year ago. Two of my kids have High Functioning Autism, as well as a long list of learning disabilities. I spent a fortune purchasing curriculum from every company under the sun. Nothing was working! Then, this past March I discovered Essentials in Writing and EVERYTHING changed! All 3 of my kids LOVE this program. When my 12-year old son started Level 6, he could hardly write a 5 sentence paragraph. I am ecstatic to share that he completed Level 6 today. He ended Level 6 with a 5 paragraph report all about the history of Chuck E. Cheese. He has grown by leaps and bounds since he started Essentials in Writing. It has brought out the natural writer inside of him. It is amazing to see the work that my 11 year-old and 5 year-old are able to do thanks to this program. The videos are excellent! They feel like Mr. Stephen’s is speaking right to them which keeps them very engaged. I even enjoy watching the videos with them. The lessons are painless for all of us, and the kids are doing exceptionally well. Our family will be forever fans of this incredible program and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a very well thought out and planned, easy to follow, easy to implement, fun and engaging language arts program. EIW is truly one of a kind!

My son used both last year for ninth grade. I was amazed at how much his writing improved and how much more he understood with the literature component. What he really liked was how things were explained. He also liked how the reading load wasn’t too heavy because the concepts are taught through a majority of short stories and articles instead of novels. When they do read the novel most of the concepts have already been introduced so they go more in-depth. It really helped my son to understand the motivations of some of the characters. Considering his autism this was an enormous breakthrough for him. I think if your girls do the same subjects at the same time you might want two books but if they don’t they could share a book.

I originally purchased EIW on the recommendation of a friend and fellow homeschooler. To be honest, I was hesitant and not at all optimistic because every other thing I had tried simply did not work for my daughter. Thanks to Mr. Stephens and his program, though, she has gone from hating writing to writing more than I ask! I have attached her level 4 first and last assignments. Everyone that I show them to is shocked, and now they are also buying the program for their children! Thank you for everything! We are looking forward to level .

We began using Essentials in Writing when my oldest daughter was in sixth grade. Before this we had used several other writing programs, but Essentials in Writing was so straight forward and easy to understand that she finally quit complaining about writing and even learned to enjoy it. She continued to use it all the way through her tenth grade year, and then in eleventh grade she started an online PSEO College Research and Writing class. She was very nervous until she saw the syllabus and realized that it was exactly what she had been doing all along in Essentials in Writing. In fact, she found the college class to be easier than high school! All the years of practicing writing different types of essays, learning how to organize her thoughts and outline her papers, and the step-by-step guidance of the revision process, really gave her the confidence to not only do well in her college class, but to earn an overall score of 99%. This is a complete testament to the effectiveness of Essentials in Writing since this is what she has used from the beginning, and we will absolutely continue to use it with our other children