The Connell School of Writing…
…reflects Brian Connell’s 18-year career as a high school English teacher and administrator. While working with students at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, PA, and at Athens Academy in Athens, GA, Mr. Connell developed his approach to a writing process that has helped thousands of students improve their writing. Mr. Connell has worked alongside college admissions officers and English professors, written school policy, participated in college scholarship processes, taught AP English courses, coached mock trials, moderated school newspapers and journals, and graded 93628457 student essays.
Our Mission
Develop students into critical thinkers who can write thoughtfully and effectively in academic, personal, and professional settings.
Our Values
All writing is personal writing—rather than teaching a one-size-fits-all formula for writing, we focus on the process of developing original ideas. We believe that good writing is not about fitting yourself to prescribed models, but about understanding and developing your own opinions and being able to articulate those effectively for specific audiences.
Respect writing as a discipline—developing our voices and understanding rules of grammar and style are skills that we hone over a lifetime. We know that if we respect the craft, we can always become better writers.
Students deserve compassion—we recognize that all students carry the struggles—both big and small—of growing up. These shape them and inform their interests, perspectives, and voices in valuable ways. When working with students, we lead with understanding and acceptance, which allows students to unlock their personal potential.
Learning should always be transformative—our courses are designed to be a turning point in students’ academic lives. Learning to write effectively ought to transcend a specific assignment or class, and should forever change the way a student approaches literature, movies, art, and people.
Published student writers from Bessemer, Alabama.