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Q: Why should we enroll our student in an MCA writing class? A. Our students write weekly, working on the core skills needed for effective written communication. Our courses are composition based, which means that we design our lessons to improve and enhance writing technique. In weekly writing assignments and subsequent revision, our instructors focus on the crucial elements of successful writing: sentence variety, grammar and usage, word choice, and organization and development. Q: How often are the papers corrected and in what manner? A. Papers are corrected weekly during the school year sessions and every other day during the Summer Session. Students respond to the instructors corrections in a revision. It is our philosophy that the best way to improve writing is through revision. Q: How many students are in each class? A. Our seminars are intimate
and supportive. Eight students participate around the table. Q: How do you select your instructors? A. The Director, Cheri Sabraw,
selects the instructors. Many of her current instructors were her colleagues
while she taught at Mission San Jose High School in the 1980s and 90s. Seven
of her younger instructors were some of her best students! In an effort to bring
the most talented, dedicated, and focused instruction to the MCA, Mrs. Sabraw
looks for people who know their subject matter, have zest for working with
talented students, enjoy teaching in a small group setting, and view the world
in an optimistic way. Q: Why should my son/daughter take Public Speaking? A: Many assignments given by both public and private school teachers call for classroom presentations. Often these assignments are group projects, in which each member of the group is responsible for part of the presentation. Usually, the grade value is significant. Most of us are uncomfortable standing up in front of a group of our peers. To disperse information, to be relaxed, to use humor -- most of these tasks are difficult under the watchful eyes of a group. Our public speaking classes are small, no more than 9 students, and are taught by warm, confident teachers. Since these teachers are currently teaching in local school, they know exactly how to coach the students to a winning presentation. Q: What is the focus of the summer math classes? A. Our summer math classes are terrific! Taught in small groups of 9, the classes focus on the math content that students will be faced with in September and October. The stress of beginning the school year, with 6 different subjects, is lessened when a student starts already knowing much of the material. We use current math textbooks, assign relevant drill and homework, and teach students how to think mathematically. |
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