HERE’S A SCENARIO ILLUSTRATING HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS:

Mr. Jones has read about all of this, but he has his doubts. He is not yet certain he wants me to be his writing instructor. But he knows that he can get a free response from me, so he composes and sends an essay, along with some explanatory notes in an email, to see what happens. I would prefer to receive a Microsoft Word attachment, but I would be able to work with a variety of formats. I copy the essay, add some notes in the margins, and compose a response. I return all of that material, along with a downloadable PDF version of my revision manual. Some of those materials are reproduced and presented below for your perusal.

Mr. Jones is not an accomplished writer. He has some good ideas, but he has a tendency to state his position on complex issues in overly simplified terms. His thinking either does not reach very far, or it is poorly expressed. He ignores difficulties. His expression skills are weak. He has a few serious problems using standard English. I maintain that his problems are not unusual. I have seen writing of doctors and lawyers that is not much better quality.

It is quite possible that many online instructional programs would politely reject this writer’s efforts. They would simply tell him he needs to go back to his high school grammar books and brush up on his basic skills before he submits work for serious consideration. As an instructor in public schools, I have had to deal with all levels of talent and skills. I am prepared to take this writer at his current level of ability and encourage him to improve.

I have posted a number at the top of Mr. Jones’s essay. It is simply a date and time. It makes it clear that I began working on the essay on June 7, 2007 at 10:01 a.m. I finished my work at 11:18. I spent one hour and 17 minutes on it. Keep reading. You won’t believe how much he has to pay for all the work I do.