There are two questions I consistently hear about my Teen Writer’s Lab: Why only teens? And why is it online?
Why teens?
TWL is one of the few classes at Athena’s that is age-restricted. In general, we believe in the benefits of multiage courses so that students can learn with other students at the same academic level. But in my experience, writing is different. My Writer’s Lab courses were developed with the idea that we would create a community of writers, but it quickly became apparent that teens had significantly different needs when it comes to community.
I believe that writing comes from a fundamental part of the self. Whether it’s a self-reflective poem, a fantasy story, or an academic essay, expressing our ideas in words is personal. And teens often feel uncomfortable sharing that personal side of themselves with younger students. Developmentally, teens look for others who can relate to and reflect their experiences. And so many of their experiences are colored by the physical and emotional developments of the teen years.
Why online?
Let’s face it: online classes are getting a really bad rap these days. The pandemic taught everyone that it’s easy to offer online courses. Unfortunately, it’s only easy to offer poorly designed classes with little engagement from the teacher. The way I do it—and the way all of Athena’s does it—is hard! I have spent untold hours designing and redesigning my courses so that both the webinars and the asynchronous classroom are engaging.
When it comes to the live webinars, I consider online teaching to be a form of performance art! A good online teacher has to develop very different skills from a classroom teacher; in fact, I’d argue that classroom teaching is easier. A smile in a classroom goes a long way, but a smile on my end doesn’t transmit to my online students without extra effort.
I have to say, I resisted the idea of online writing courses at first, but now I realize that the online environment is uniquely suited to an endeavor that bares so much of our deepest selves. My teens feel comfortable sharing their work and responding to the work of others. There’s no hallway gossip to fear and no consequences for screwing up. In Teen Writer’s Lab, we write to develop our ideas without all the baggage that an in-person course might bring.
Please spread the message that Athena’s offers quality online courses to gifted and homeschooled students. With so many poorly conceived online courses out there, lots of parents have given up. But please don’t give up on Athena’s! We are deeply passionate teachers committed to helping your student thrive.
