From happy students:
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“I learned that I can indeed write, with a little help.” ~Carson F., AZ
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"I do not enjoy writing; it doesn't come naturally to me, so when my mom told me that I was starting this new writing program called Essay Rock Star to prepare me for college, I cringed. I thought it would be like all the other ones I have used before, but with Essay Rock Star and Ms. Iatridis I have improved my writing ability and don't dread writing papers anymore. She does a great job of showing you the step-to-step process of writing a paper and how to improve your writing ability." ~Ian S., OH
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"The fact that there was a audio file to read the lessons to me, instead of having to read over it all myself was very nice." ~Jacob T., AL
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"Not being confined to one topic is definitely a good thing. The program is just kind of laid back. It lets you have a little more room to come up with your own ideas. I definitely love the teaching method with the videos, the audios, and the different links to the resources to help with ideas and understand how to do things better." ~Abby V., TX
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| “[The process] made us think of multiple points on our subject, before we started to write our essay.” ~James S., MN |
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| "I have really enjoyed doing the Essay Rock Star writing course. It was a change of pace from always having just one teacher, to having another one. I also enjoyed typing my papers, instead of writing them out. I have learned quite a bit of writing skills from this course, things that didn't really make sense before. I learned instead of focusing on how good your essay sounds at first, you should write in your own way, so your essay doesn't sound fake. Also, I learned a lot about how to brainstorm for just the right topic for an essay, a thing that used to be very hard for me to do. My teacher was very helpful in the way she explained things, and that helped immensely. Overall, my experiences with this course have been wonderful in every way." ~Kaylee H., PA |
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| "I really liked the classroom style and not stressing over due dates. I really liked the feedback! It came soon enough that you didn't worry something was wrong and just slow enough that you didn't feel pressured to turn something in really quick." ~Caton F., VA |
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| "I really liked using the Writing Rockstars writing course, It was very compatible and easy to use. My favorite part was definitely that there was no time limit on each lesson/assignment. I think it gives you a good chance to think things through. My teacher helped me a lot, especially when I had questions, and I think that instant feedback is good so I can work on fixing my mistakes without waiting a long time or forgetting what I'm doing." ~Aster F., VA |
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| "The interface of the Essay Rock Star program was perfect and very easy to use. I learned a lot and it made me a much better writer. It was a fun challenge. I think it was the best writing program ever because writing is not a "fun" subject to do and this course made it fun. There were no textbooks!" ~Devin H., PA |
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| "What I liked best was the learning how to write the essay, the writing of the essay, and you." ~Catie O. |
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"The only help I got from home was on the editing step. I would have my mom go over it and help me make some of the grammar and wording edits. The five step process helped me sort out the good and the bad, and put my thoughts in an order that makes sense. I have always had trouble creating flowing paragraphs and some of the tips that were attached in the lesson were very helpful. I learned that it can never hurt to put all of your ideas out on paper, because you can always go and sort through them after. I've never really gone through and done each type of essay so it was interesting to see the differences between them. You were very helpful and always answered my questions thoroughly and in a way that was easy to understand. I liked that all of the lessons and steps were easy to understand and very straightforward. Writing has never been my favorite or my strong suit, but this course challenged me in a way that was fun and informative. I looked forward to working on the essays each and every week.
I have really enjoyed this course and working with you!" ~Chloe C.
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| "My experience while using the online classroom was enjoyable and very anti-stressful. I felt like everything worked well and the site was very easy to navigate. The combination of audio and text for each lesson I thought was especially useful, as I personally work more efficiently if I can see and hear what I'm learning. I really didn't have any problems with the classroom. My teacher was kind, very informative and helpful. She made me feel at ease which made me a lot more comfortable when it came to asking questions." ~Abbey T. |
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| "The online classroom worked very well. When I first logged in, I accidentally submitted an assignment in my mom's account instead of mine, and Ms. Iatridis was very helpful in telling me how to move on to the next lesson. After that, I had no problems with the online classroom. I really liked that Ms. Iatridis always told me what was good about my essay. Learning good writing skills is a much more pleasant process when I'm told what's good about my essay and what needs some work rather than just what I need to work on." ~Addison S. |
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| "My experience with Writing Rockstars was amazing. I really liked the way everything was set up. It was easy to understand what I had to do. The only problem was that my computer wouldn't download the resource articles. Lily was an amazing teacher. When I had a question she replied very quickly. I thought I would have to wait a few days to get an answer but she usually emailed back that day." ~Alyssa H. |
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| "I loved doing this online class. I picked up many useful tips that I can use in any essay! I liked the example essay that I could look at to see what I exactly had to do. My teacher was very nice and was very clear on what I needed to improve. It was very fun being able to learn how to write a well-planned out essay on a topic of my choice! Thank you!" ~Emily L. |
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| "I think it was cool and easy to understand. I liked how each of the steps were explained thoroughly, and that I would be able to have help from the instructor if needed. I don’t think anything needs any kind of improvement. I loved how I had plenty of helpful advice and that my teacher was quick to replying and helped me with corrections to my work." ~Veronica G. |
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| "I loved my experience with the Writing Rockstars online classroom. The instructions were clear and concise, the instructor was quick to respond, respectable and polite, and overall very helpful. On a rating scale from 1-5, I would rate a 5." ~Jace R. |
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| "Thank you for everything you've done with helping me and preparing me for college. I feel much more confident and ready for writing papers in the future." ~Jess E. |
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| "I liked my experience with essay rock star and I`d love to take more courses by Writing Rockstars. My favorite part was working with a teacher and getting help when needed." ~Jody S. |
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| "I felt like I have learned a lot of useful tips and strategies. She was very clear on what I needed to fix or do. Overall she was excellent." ~Josh C. |
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| "My experience in the online classroom was nice. I liked how you could have the audio player read all of the text to you instead of having to read it all yourself. Secondly, I believe that most of the topics were worded very clearly, so that was nice to understand what I was supposed to do. The feedback was very positive each time, and I have no doubt that if the feedback is explained positively whether you complete a lesson or need to work on one some more, the student will be positive as well. I liked that very much, and you don't need to change anything about your feedback, because it is great." ~Josh R. |
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| "The personal essay class was very good. It gave great information on how to write the essay. The resources were very helpful and are good to have in the future. I like the way the class was structured and the fact I could finish the essay in a reasonable about of time. I thought the teacher's feedback was great! Her comments were very helpful and made the writing process go more smoothy." ~Juliana V. |
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| "So far, Essay Rockstar has been working fantastically for me - I really appreciate the fact that it is all self paced." ~Katy R. |
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| "The online class was quite educational and I think I learned a lot. My favorite part was the lesson on free writing. My teachers feedback was corrective in a very kind way."~Markus L. |
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| "I enjoyed the online classroom immensely ~ it was streamlined and easy to use (after I learned how of course). My teacher was prompt, helpful, and accessible and her I was able to use her feedback to improve my essay." ~Kailee P. |
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| "I found the experience very simple and easy to use, the videos were clear and the instructions very understandable. Teacher feedback was very helpful and easy to work with." ~Reed M. |
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| "It was good! I liked the fact that you got personal feedback each time." ~Rhiannon R. |
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| "I really enjoyed using the online classroom. The links were really helpful in learning how my textual analysis should look. My teacher's feedback helped improve my essay and gave me great instruction in how to make my essay stronger. Thank you for this course, it was an awesome experience." ~Sam B. |
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| "I found my experience to be very good. Ability to easily submit papers. Excellent information to have when writing future papers. Teacher's feedback was very helpful. Suggestions were concise and easily understandable." ~Seth V. |
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| "My experience using the online classroom was awesome! I really enjoyed the simple structure of the classes, it was easy to follow. I was thankful for the example pages provided, it helped me understand the tasks more fully. Everything seemed perfect; I have no recommendations for improvements." ~Stephanie J. |
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| "I liked the teacher feedback, I enjoyed being able to work at my own pace, I loved having the samples to use so I could understand what I was supposed to do. A few of the lessons had a lot of information to digest but having the samples made it understandable. I enjoyed how the teacher understood where I was in the lesson and what I needed help with. She was always very positive -- even when I asked her to resend information to me several times she never got agitated!" ~Stephen W. |
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| "I thought it was an excellent course. Also, I liked the fact that each lesson had a specific focus, and there was lot of support materials and examples. The feedback helped me turn my essay into a piece I am satisfied with." ~Tessa F. |
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| "I most enjoyed the feedback on my work and the easy-to-follow instructions on the lessons’ pages. I don’t feel the experience could be improved. It was very encouraging and gave good instructions on how to improve my writing or correct any mistakes I’d made." ~CW |
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| "I was not a very confident writer and had never used writing program, but after seeing how easy the five steps where it became easier too add more thoughts and arguments to my essay,and having someone that responds quickly and helps you throughout the whole time is a great feature that helps with any questions you have with you're writing. Overall its a great program too have." ~Noah H. |
From happy parents:
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| "All of my children are voracious readers, and I had hoped my son would pick up formal writing just as easily as his older sister. Unfortunately, before signing up for Essay Rock Star, he could barely write a paragraph, and had made it his mission in life to prove that it was possible to succeed without writing! He has just finished his first essay, and I am thrilled with his progress! Ms. I's interesting video lessons, clear directions, and gentle encouragement, have helped my son's confidence blossom. I have no doubt he will enter high school prepared to handle any writing assignment that comes his way! Thank you!" ~Jenica Webster, NC |
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| “I liked the format of breaking writing assignments into steps and providing feedback for each part of the assignment.” ~Judith Sharkey, Goodyear, AZ |
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| “In my teenagers’ writing for me, I see growth from what you have taught them. They are more structured in the writing process and take more concentrated effort.” ~Lynda Fabry, MI |
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"My daughter and I both love it. It's been so good for her to have another teacher to give her feedback. She is definitely learning from it - both in writing and technology.
"I love the video and audio lessons in addition to the written lesson. I also love that my daughter can type her work and upload it to you very easily. Looking forward to finishing the course!" ~Cindy West, KY
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| "My daughter finally realized that writing consists of several steps.” ~Lisa Plunkett, MI |
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"Both Kaylee and I love the Rock Star Essay course! In fact, as I mentioned before, I plan to purchase the course for my son next year as well. It has been tremendously beneficial for Kaylee to receive feedback from someone other than me. When you tell her she is doing well, she feels successful; and when you show her ways to improve, she is anxious to please you. I've seen her working to grow in her writing, and that's been a huge blessing.
"We are very pleased with the course content. Kaylee is definitely learning a lot! I think you've found a nice balance between "too easy" and "too hard"--again, I'm speaking from our experience with limited previous writing instruction.
"Before beginning the course, Kaylee was worried about being able to meet your expectations. I would say that she now feels that everything is doable. She looks forward to the challenge without feeling overwhelmed. Kaylee says that the personal feedback on every step is very helpful. I definitely feel that the personal feedback is the strongest point--the highlight--of this course. Kaylee is definitely getting more input on her assignments than she would ever receive in a classroom setting. It seems that you give her a lot of encouragement without the hand-holding that she would expect from me. ;-)
"Both Kaylee and I find the learning center easy to navigate. Kaylee does everything on her own with limited computer experience. The videos are high quality and are very easy to understand (no background noise, distinct speaking, etc.)" ~Judy Hoch, PA |
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| "I've always felt a little bit weak in teaching writing. I write as a blogger, but that doesn't mean that I have down how to craft a good essay and that's been something I've been concerned about before sending my son off to college.
"I read your feedback each time before he moves on and it's been helpful! I appreciate how you keep it encouraging. As for the content delivery, I feel that it works well for my child." ~Sarah Robinson, KS
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"My 14 year old daughter is using the program. We really like how the lessons are structured so that you can either watch the video, listen to the audio or read for yourself. My daughter is dyslexic so having these options is good for her and good for me.
I find that the content is excellent. I love when a curriculum provides resources like Writing Rockstars does. They help me to understand better so I can help her if she needs extra explanation. All in all, we are very happy!" ~Marianne Sunderland, CA
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| "Chloe has every intention of finishing the course at her current pace of one step each week. I am so glad to have someone else to offer her feedback and guidance on her writing and to be able to add this .5 credit to her high school transcript is awesome!" ~Heidi Ciravola, NY |
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"I have been meaning to write to let you know that my daughter did very well last semester at school. She ended up with straight A's which she was very pleased about. As she has been going to private school up to this point, she's never had any 'grades', if you can believe it. Her school has always done matrix based detailed evaluations which help her identify areas of improvement, but was never a measure for comparing herself against her peers. In any case, it's such a wonderful and positive experience for her to have worked hard and be rewarded with the A's, thanks in no small part, for the support you've given her in her writing. Lit was the one class that she barely squeezed by with an A, boosted by the good grades she got for her essays. I wanted to thank you for your patience and attitude in working with her. She really enjoys her time with you and is always motivated to improve based on your suggestions. You were really able to get her to take criticisms positively and work on what she needs to. We are so lucky to have found you." ~Ting Kao, CA
Ting’s daughter is a 9th grader who began the Essay Rock Star program over the summer and attends public school in California. She receives private tutoring from us to get assistance with her school writing projects.
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| "I loved the course. I have not been as objective as I should be and so it was nice for me to not be the heavy or to go too easy on him. He is graduating this year and I wanted him to have some experience working under a teacher other than myself. Ian is an extremely disciplined young man, but his writing skills needed help. You and your course stretched him and we (my husband and I) were so impressed with how you would give him a lot of feedback on what he had written and helpful criticism on how he could improve, etc. I have three older daughters who have already graduated and the one thing they'd told me was that it would have been more helpful to have had more writing experience." ~Barb Spencer, OH |
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"The best thing for me, by far, was that my daughter WANTED to do this. I didn't have to nag her to go do it. Also that you have the knowledge and experience to know how much and when to edit and how she is doing for her age level, because I have felt really concerned for her. Doing this course was so good for us. And we definitely want to do more. Thanks, again!" ~Amber Oliver | Classic Housewife
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"Thank you SO much for the thorough report on [Devin’s] writing. I actually printed part of your email out to include in his portfolio. That end-of-year report/analysis is very valuable for those of us in states with very strong homeschool laws--it really demonstrates what has been learned and emphasizes your interaction with the student.
Semester course graduates receive a portfolio of their work and a teacher report summarizing improvements made during the program.
"And I just had to share this with you: At the beginning of the year, Devin was totally bummed about having to spend so much time writing, not to mention being accountable to an outside teacher. He grumbled and complained that he didn't know how to do his first assignment (but of course he didn't want my help.) Over the course of the year, the grumbling stopped and I saw him begin to take pride in his writing. And best of all, when I asked him tonight what his favorite subject was this year , , , he said it was WRITING!!!
"All that to say that you definitely have a special knack for bringing out the best in your students--it's truly a gift!
"I'm hoping that you will someday add more writing courses, and of course as my younger children get older, they will definitely be taking the Essay Rock Star course. :-)
Thanks SO much! I'm just so happy that you enjoyed Devin as a student." ~Judy Hoch, PA
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"Just wanted to say thank you for motivating my daughter to write! She is so enjoying the Essay Rock Star class (and she's just on the first draft!). Thank you!"
~Mary Prather
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"I really liked the course [Top Teach] you set. It helped me to sort things I intuitively knew and helped to set rules for myself and my kids. Thank you. I still have few things to do - the whole part of writing and I am really excited to see how my kids will react. We scheduled it for tomorrow as today is national holiday in my country and we can't go and seek for the right, the best and the most encouraging notebooks. Choosing them is a good fun for kids.
"My boys accepted daily writing immediately and it was much easier than I expected. They choose their topic easily, write usually more than the minimum and feel really proud of that. They also feel tempted to read what they wrote to all family members. Daily writing turned to be much more fun that duty and boys like it in opposition to regular school work that they avoid. Thanks, Lily, for this course!" ~Magdalena Wojtas, Poland
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| "I'm so grateful for this course. It really helped her and I to understand the writing process better. Thanks again for this wonderful course. I'm telling many others about it. We also purchased the persuasive essay course, but I'm taking her to the doctor today for a possible broken dominant hand, so I don't know how much typing is in her immediate future." ~April Hutchinson, IN |
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| "I just wanted to say how thankful I am for your teaching writing to my son. I am so happy I chose your program. I appreciate all the critique and feedback you give him and how you take the time to personalize your critiques that fit him uniquely. I am so pleased with his persuasive essay. I am confident that by the end of this program, he will be ready to take English 101 at the community college. Thank you again." ~Christine Abrahims, NJ |
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| "My husband and I are both graduates of Cornell University. I love to write and yet faced with my first high school student in our home school, I was afraid that I would not be able to TEACH writing. I was so excited to see that the way you teach is precisely the way I was taught. I agreed with your recommendations every step of the way. I loved the end product, but mostly this course served as an intermediate step towards my daughter's independence from our high school to college. I am more confident now that she will be able to work with her professors and I can begin to let go :) Thank you for giving me this opportunity to test the waters as I've been her only teacher since birth! :) Again, I look forward to seeing her progress in her writing in the next courses!" ~Claudia Lee, CA |
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| "I really am glad to have had the opportunity to review Writing Rockstars and have my son use it. I really liked that we could mold the assignment around our (busy) life and feel no guilt about the timeframe in which it was completed. I also LOVED the opportunity for my son to have feedback from someone besides me without the investment of time and money in a semester-long course. This fit our needs perfectly." ~Alane Abbett, CA |
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| "Jacob and I enjoyed the course very much and look forward to doing another one this year. He really gained a lot of confidence in his writing abilities. You have a great product and I hope the reviews continue to bear fruit for you!" ~Jen Dunlap, FL |
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| "Major milestone for us today... My teen son just successfully completed his expository writing course. WHY is this such a big deal? My son has struggled with dysgraphia as long as he can remember. Writing (the physical act of forming letter AND getting his ideas on paper) is a BIG challenge. Over the years he continues to find ways to make accommodations and to see improvement but writing is still frustrating for him. This summer he has been taking an online writing course and I was determined to let him do everything with the course on his own and at his own pace. Turns out, it was a great fit -- the course walked him through a step-by-step process that made a lot of sense to him and the feedback from his course advisor was supportive and direct.Today he printed out his certificate of completion and handed it to me with a huge grin!Over the next couple of weeks I'll share more details about the program and his efforts, but for today we are celebrating." ~Facebook post by Susan Williams, FL |
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| "Thank you so much for working with Evan on his expository essay. You gave him the accountability and encouragement he needed. I am very impressed with what he turned out!" ~ Erica Onorato, FL |
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| "So far, this has been a great thing for both of us. She is getting feedback from someone other than mom, :) and taking it at her own pace is greatly reducing stress and anxiety for her. Thanks so much for all your input so far." ~RuthAnn Bamford, NC |
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| "I can't tell you how grateful I am for God leading me to you! Have a great day!" ~Suzanne Cobb, GA |
