Writing Coach

Your children need a writing teacher. Let an experienced coach help you...

Inspire and motivate your students one paper at a time, with an experienced Writing Coach—working with YOUR Sonlight program.

Trade hours of editing for time with your family.
Let a talented writer unlock growth, technique, and creativity in your students.
Your coach will use the same Sonlight materials as your students.
Not a class: you pay "per paper," for only the coaching your students need.
Save money, too: optional membership can pay for itself with 2-6 papers.

How to get better at writing: Practice with the best coach you can find.

Yes, you CAN teach your children well. You ARE able to help them learn what they need. But once in a while, even the most well-prepared mom can use help from a specialist...

Angela B and her Family, cozy on the couch, doing school

I have told my husband countless times that, as a homeschool mom, I really do not feel adequate to teach writing. This "ËPay per Paper' coaching service is a real blessing to me, just what I was looking for ...

My son, Alex [age 11, using Sonlight^® Core F], is also very encouraged, actually excited about seeing what his coach says. I am impressed—we will definitely use this writing coach service again. Thanks."Â

—Angela B, December 2008 [her first year with Sonlight]

There is no "answer key" for creative writing.

If there is one skill with incredible potential to reward any student who pursues it, it's the art of writing.

Just one problem: many homeschool parents worry they can't be the writing coach their students need. We know we can guide students through material that comes with an answer key. But we can be unsure how to help our children express themselves creatively.

That's one great reason why your children have coaches and music teachers. They can get help and instruction we just can't deliver. We can also focus on other important things while the kids train and practice under the guidance of specialists.

We want you to have the resources that will most benefit your family. That's why Sonlight has partnered with WriteAtHome^™. Your students have the opportunity to work with a very affordable Writing Coach—whenever you (or your students) need one. The "Pay Per Paper" option lets you pay for only the assignments you want professionally reviewed.

Tip: if your students will write six or more papers this year, you can save money on expert coaching for every paper when you enroll your whole family in the program's one-year membership for only $12.

We benefit from coaches.

Experienced writers know what athletes and musicians have long understood: getting better at any complex skill takes regular, concentrated practice. And professionals do NOT practice in isolation...

What do you think Michael Phelps could have achieved at the Olympics in Beijing if he had not worked with a coach, consistently, to reach his peak performance? Dancers, actors, singers and athletes all need training. But not just exercise, fueled by personal ambition. They need the help of a mentor or leader—who knows what to look for and correct. A great coach knows how to help their pupil conquer their obstacles and reach a higher level of proformance.

Like great sports figures, great writers often have coaches. Truly great writing coaches love the written word, and want to see your students really stretch and grow as confident writers—even gifted and passionate wordsmiths.

Why might you consider a Sonlight/WriteAtHome coach to read, proof, critique, and evaluate your students' writing efforts?

You may enjoy hours of reading, but would love to
trade heavy editing work for family time...
You know writing skills are critical, but you feel
unsure as to how to help improve your student's work...
You've wished for help with teaching writing, but
want a coach who will work with your student's
current Sonlight^® assignments.

Use materials and resources you already have, and choose the level of coaching each of your students needs.

You can start using a Sonlight-equipped WriteAtHome^™ Coach immediately, one paper at a time. There's no additional curriculum or software to buy. You simply let your coach know which Sonlight program each student is using, and they trade papers and coaching notes over the web. Students can write using most any word processing program (such as Word, Works, WordPerfect, Wordpad, and others). Their coach returns notes in convenient PDF format for review.

Connect with a dedicated Writing Coach who uses the same
Sonlight program as your student: visit WriteAtHome here.

How much coaching do your students need? That depends.

Sometimes your children simply need an eagle-eye review of their final draft. Other times, they would benefit from progressive, guided direction through the whole writing process. Your WriteAtHome^™ coach can deliver both, and you can choose—one paper at a time—which level of help your student needs:

Word Count:	Single-Draft Evaluation	Three-Draft Process
1-500	$20.00 ($18 with membership)	$48.00 ($42 with membership)
501-1,000	$26.00 ($24 for members)	$58.00 ($54 for members)
1,001-1,500	$32.00 ($30 for members)	$72.00 ($66 for members)
1,501-2,000	$38.00 ($36 for members)	$84.00 ($78 for members)

Family membership ($12 for a full year) pays for itself with just 2-6 papers.

Interaction with a top-quality coach is, hands down, the best way to supercharge your progress in any skill. Yet families often sacrifice the inspirational and practical benefits of a writing coach because such focused one-on-one attention can prove expensive. You, thankfully, don't have to make that sacrifice.

Your students can submit a paper to their coach any time, for just $20 (for a single draft up to 500 words). Plus, you can save up to $6 per paper when you enroll your family in a one-year WriteAtHome^™ membership for just $12. That means you can connect each of your writing students to his or her own coach, and let them submit papers all year long. After just six single-draft papers (or two papers with the three-draft process), your membership has completely paid for itself... and your savings per paper keeps adding up.

But far more than the savings, you'll see value in working with a Sonlight-equipped writing coach. Your coach knows what your students are encountering in their Sonlight programs, and knows exactly how to keep them engaged and motivated to improve their writing.

Expression in words is a subtle, complex craft. Everyone who wants to develop their best writing skills can (and will) learn more and more for years. Like athletes, musicians, and other skilled creative people, top writers can tell you—there's just no substitute for training with a great coach.

Your WriteAtHome^™ experience can go beyond Sonlight-tailored help from a Sonlight-equipped coach. You can also sign up for their free monthly newsletter filled with instructions and tips for eager writers to practice.

Should your student need (or want) even more coaching, you can check out composition courses for middle and high schoolers, plus a strong series of short (9-week) high school workshops on writing essays, research papers—even short stories. Find out much more at WriteAtHome.com.

One more proven tip for writers of any age: read more fiction...

Here's the really great news: You've already started your students down the path of great writing. How?

Reading fiction improves your social reasoning skills. (Check out the article in New Scientist about the University of Toronto study which showed that readers of narrative fiction scored higher on tests of empathy and social acumen. So what?

Being a great writer requires that you understand your audience and find ways to reach them. So while you help your students practice the art and skill of writing... continue to enjoy the practice of reading, too!