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WRITE RIGHT WITH MRS. WHITE

Writing Classes for Home Schoolers
Ages 14 and up
. . . . . . .
Preparing students for
college and for life

Composition One lays the foundation for all writing. Students will practice the essentials of good writing in various genres. They will learn a step-by-step approach to writing effectively that takes the mystery and frustration out of the process. Class instruction includes lectures, group brainstorming and writing, group interaction, drama, and hands-on practice. By the time students complete this class, they will be prepared to move forward in more advanced writing skills. Prerequisite: Grammar

Composition Two picks up where Composition One stops. The five paragraph essay is thoroughly mastered in all genres. More sophisticated writing tools are introduced to bring depth and maturity to their writing. Students also learn to brainstorm, write, and revise more quickly to prepare them for college. Class instruction will include lectures, group brainstorming and writing, group interaction, drama, and hands-on practice. Prerequisite: Composition One (Exceptions are made on an individual basis.)

Composition Three is an in-depth course preparing students for college level work. Students will practice, practice, practice in class to master skills. Students write a personal essay, research paper, timed essays, and learn advanced techniques. Anyone completing this course is prepared to CLEP out of College Composition and to take the SAT/ACT essay exam. Prerequisite: Composition Two

STUDENT TESTIMONIES:
"I have good news, Mrs. White: I received my acceptance letter from DBU on Monday! So I just wanted to let you know that I will be a "Patriot" in the fall. But the big news I thought you would be interested in is that -- thanks ONLY to your classes -- I CLEPed out of Freshman English 1301. Should my accomplishment be recorded in the "Mrs. White's Student Hall of Fame?" I don't think so; but for me, it is a huge relief - my fall semester is English free! THANK YOU, MRS. WHITE!!"

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"Thank you thank you, thank you for all the effort you invested in me. I would be completely sunk if I hadn't taken your composition classes. Now [in college], I am actually the 'go to girl' if anyone needs help making their papers more interesting."

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"You are a marvelous teacher, Mrs. White.  Thank you for tolerating my perfectionism and slowness over the past two years.  Because of you, my writing skills have improved tremendously - now I enjoy writing."

 

Terri White is the founder of JC-LIFE and home schooled her three children from 1983-99. The White's children are grown and married, and they have several grandchildren. A 1972 magna cum laude graduate from the University of Wisconsin, Terri has written three books: Good News Bible Study, Successful Home Schooling, and Write Right with Mrs. White. As a graduate of "Leadership Cleburne," Terri currently is the Chairman the Board for East Cleburne Community Center, a nonprofit organization that works with at-risk youth.

If you live in or near Cleburne, Texas, contact Terri at composition@charter.net  to enroll your student.

 

My Composition 3 class of 2008 wrote a "mock essay" patterned after author Patrick McManus www.mcmanusbooks.com/.  We forwarded the essay to Mr. McManus and he replied below.  After his letter, I have included the Composition 3 essay my students wrote entitled "Get Stupid."

~Terri White

Dear Ms. White,

 I thought  the “Get Stupid” essay was excellent.  Hana, Thomas, & Hannah have hit upon a technique I used with one of my very first published pieces.  As you  no doubt know, it’s the Reversal.  Nancy Davidson, then the Northwest editor of Sunset Magazine, told me about it.  I think I was still in college at the time and it was a great revelation to me.  Over the years, rather than use the wise old man who sets a high standard for youngsters, I used an ignorant old man who set a low standard, Rancid Crabtree.  Where others write about how to get found, I write about how to get lost.  Where others write about the greatest dog in the world, I write about the worst, Strange.  Here your students are still in high school and they write about the advantages of being dumb, a perfect reversal.  They are off to a great start, due, I suspect, to the talents of their teacher.   

Best regards,

Pat McManus

GET STUPID
by Hana Huff, Thomas Huff, & Hannah Stewart
April 2008
 

    Much has been written to help dummies -- Mac for dummies, sewing for dummies, boiling water for dummies -- but how do you obtain the state of stupidity and uphold the noble title of stupid?

    I discovered early in life that I had a natural talent for demonstrating stupidity, a talent that through practice and discipline I honed to a sharp edge.  By my senior year of high school, I had so stupefied my teachers that they awarded me, on graduation night, the "Wayatoodense Achievement Award" -- the first and last of its kind.  It always captures the attention of prospective employers as they decipher my resume.

    I guess it worked.  For the past ten years, I have toiled in the Research Department of Pierre Plastic Palms.  Pierre, South Dakota, is renown for its palms.  As maintenance engineer for the company, I have been cogitating the palm's ability to sustain their polished green appearance with such an appalling lack of H2O.

    On my lunch breaks, I took it upon myself to covertly research this phenomenon.  I volunteered to dispose of my colleagues' beverages.  Instead of delivering them to the nearest trash receptacle, I offered them to the palms.  Over the next few weeks, the trees sampled water, coffee, Propel, Red Bull, Gatorade, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Sprite, pomegranate juice, apple juice, and even Monster energy drinks.  But it wasn't until I tried green tea that my labors bore fruit.  My co-worker, A. Choo, suddenly ceased his sniffling and sneezing.  Mr. Hacker, after passing the palm, terminated his consistent cough.  Eureka!  I had found the cure for the common cold: green tea extract, palm bark, and faux Spanish moss with just a hint of floral foam.