Frequently Asked Questions

What type of writing do you teach?

We focus on nonfiction, academic, critical writing for school, professional, and personal use.

What age group is right for your classes?

Our program is geared toward high school students learning to write critical and persuasive essays for academic purposes. Courses will build skills and confidence as students navigate high school writing assignments and the college admissions process. College students who feel that they did not receive adequate preparation in high school may also find our courses beneficial.

Will the Connell School help my child get into college?

The Connell School is not a college counseling agency. However, we believe that good writing affects every aspect of a student’s life and leads to improved grades and greater opportunities. Students will learn how to write in ways that help them stand out in the college application process. Our College Essay Workshop will ensure that your student writes a great essay.

What’s your stance on AI?

Part of what we love about writing is the struggle of figuring out what to say and the perfect way to say it. Considerations of audience, tone, voice, sentence structure, and style are all part of what makes writing fun and frustrating and meaningful. As AI tools inundate schools, we see some useful and many very detrimental applications. We question any program that removes agency from a writer and believe that AI—if used at all—should only be used to support the process of thinking (i.e., critically thinking about a topic, digging deeper into ideas, deciding on an angle or approach) and not the product of writing (i.e., writing the essay for you).

How do in-school programs work?

We offer in-school writing courses in two forms:

  1. A CSW teacher comes to your class and teaches an 8-week CSW course (i.e. YAWP!, College Essay, Professional Writing). The CSW teacher partners with the classroom teacher to ensure goals are met and gives individual feedback on all student docs between each class session.

  2. Train the Teacher: CSW trains teachers on the curriculum and provides ongoing support for partner teachers. Following courses, CSW will publish student writing.

Do you teach private students?

We offer personal, one-on-one and small group workshops on the College Admissions Essay. They take place in libraries, schools, and other locations convenient to students/families. In addition, we offer live Zoom sessions to students around the world. Our experience shows that a live, face-to-face approach (rather than pre-recorded videos and courses) is most effective. This allows teachers to diagnose and respond to issues in student writing more precisely and personally, rather than relying on pre-recorded videos/courses that often miss important moments.

Do you teach the “5-paragraph essay”?

The 5-paragraph essay is a common formula taught in middle-and-high school classrooms. Its value is in showing younger students how to state a position and offer supporting evidence. This formula does not, however, represent great or aspirational writing. Students should be moving beyond the 5-paragraph essay by the 10th and 11th grades. We help students accomplish this and to compose sharp, intelligent arguments that stand out in any high school or college level class. As such, we only use the 5-paragraph formula as a reference point for how to become better writers.