The Writing Tutor Steps up to Get American Students Back on the “Write” Track

The ability of American students to write well has declined rapidly in recent years. As schools are forced to add more and more content to their curricula, teachers have little choice but to neglect the basics that produce good writers. The Writing Tutor is designed to help students, teachers, and parents get back on the WRITE track.

The Writing Tutor is a new online resource for student writers, teachers, and parents that provides enrichment and remediation opportunities for students and preparation resources for overburdened teachers. Resources include: ready-to-use lesson plans, notes, activities, and handouts; online and independent study courses; online book discussions; writing contests; a series of homework help reference guides and writing tips; and online discussion groups for teachers and parents.

The Writing Tutor evolved as a direct response to the founder’s experiences as a classroom teacher. “I found that the vast majority of my students struggled with writing, so I was constantly looking for new ways to help them write and communicate better,” Michele R. Acosta, The Writing Tutor founder, said. It became clear that many students really needed to return to grammar basics because they could not learn how to avoid common writing pitfalls if they could not recognize the basic components of English grammar.

Unfortunately, in today’s educational system, most schools deliver a curriculum that is so full that it leaves little time for either remediation or enrichment. In addition to time constraints caused by packed curricula, growing class sizes make it increasingly difficult for teachers to meet the needs of a very diverse population of students who range from special needs students (LD, ADHD, ESL, etc.) to above average students who chose not to take honors level courses. The Writing Tutor has been designed to fill in the gap.

The Writing Tutor supplements a student's education in several ways:

TheWritingTutor.biz is an online resource that provides quick reference guides and other resources that address many issues facing young writers, their parents, and their teachers.

The Writing Tutor sponsors several writing contests each year in order to encourage students to write.

Because good writers are also readers, The Writing Tutor promotes reading in The Readers' Corner. The Writing Tutor provides a list of suggested reading and also encourages students, parents, and teachers to submit their own suggestions. The Readers' Corner also moderates online book discussions.

In addition to student resources, The Writing Tutor also provides resources for teachers, parents, and homeschoolers.

All courses, materials, and resources offered by The Writing Tutor are written and taught by a certified English/language arts teacher and are designed for students in grades 6 through 12, although both younger and older students could benefit, depending upon their needs and ability.

For more information, visit www.TheWritingTutor.biz.

About The Writing Tutor’s founder:

Michele R. Acosta has an M.A. in education, a B.A. in communication/journalism, and the equivalent of an undergraduate major in English. She is certified by the State of Illinois to teach high school English and middle school language arts, has an endorsement in journalism, has taught and advised high school student publications, and has taught ACT preparation classes in addition to teaching high school English. The instructor is registered as a tutor with Deerfield Public School District 109 and with Township High School District 113. (Both districts are located in the State of Illinois.)

Acosta's primary areas of expertise include teaching writing skills and the writing process to a wide range of ability/skill levels, ranging from a "back to basics" review to the refinement of Advanced Placement (AP) English level writing skills.

Additional areas of expertise include teaching self-editing skills and reading strategies, as well as developing the ability to think and write about literature or content in other humanities-based disciplines.

In addition to tutoring students and writing curriculum for enrichment and remediation classes, the instructor has also taught a yearbook enrichment class to 5th graders at Walden Elementary School in Deerfield, Illinois. The enrichment program is sponsored and organized by the Walden PTO.

The instructor is a Deerfield resident, has children enrolled in Deerfield Public School District 109, and has lived in the Deerfield vicinity for most of her life.

Contact the instructor at TheTutor@TheWritingTutor.biz.

The Writing Tutor complies with The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).