- Instruction and guidelines to becoming a more effective writer. Prior to starting this curriculum I had very little writing experience, previous school enrollments cut both my parents and me short by not properly training me in the field of writing. By all means, I am not a great writer now, I have a long way to go before I achieve any level of success in writing, but I have come a long way since starting this curriculum and I continue to learn more with every day.
- Persistent writing assignments. In most classes, students are assigned weekly writing assignments, from my experience these average 500 words. Once completed the student posts these essays on a WordPress blog, and posts a link in the appropriate forum on the RPC website so that other students can read their essays. This gives students a means of practice and constant drive to improve their writing.
- This curriculum is academically rigorous. I have discussed with several other students and we all agree that coming to the RPC was a big step up from whatever school curriculum we came from. In most of the high school courses, the teachers are college level teachers they do not leave blank spots, they cover everything. Within a month of joining this curriculum, students will see a major incline to their academic progress.
- Time management skills. Especially in high-school, students face the difficult task of balancing school with a job, business, or perhaps a sport or other activity. The RPC allows you to create a flexible schedule, and gives you the opportunity to balance your time to maximize productivity. Again, this is is a skill that has been growing since I started the RPC. I have a lot to work on in the way of time management, but I have improved since starting this curriculum and I continue to improve through persistence.
- Development of note taking skills. Taking notes is a valuable skill needed by students of every level. This curriculum teaches students how to take good notes, and apply them to their study to maximize the information learned.
- The opportunity to learn from/teach other students. On the website, available exclusively to members, there are forums for every course as well as a discussion forum for students, and several parent forums. When a student has a question they can leave it on the forum and it will most likely be answered within 24 hours. We learn by teaching, this is a unique benefit not offered by most other online school sources. I have made connections with some of the other students, some of which I talk to everyday, I consider some of them good friends. This provides the social aspect, without classroom distraction.
- A flexible schedule. The classes can be taken anytime, anywhere. This allows students to make their own schedule, and have the flexibility to change it anytime.
- Students learn how to operate WordPress. Each student is asked to create a WordPress blog to post writing assignments on, this is not required, but it is highly recommended. Students are walked through the basics, and they will learn a lot through personal experience. This is a good skill to have.
- Self taught. 98% self taught is a huge benefit. Students learn how to be more independent in their educational lives. This is a good preparation for college, and learning throughout life.
- 2 high school business course taught by successful businessmen. In today’s world, a job can be risky and insecure. Starting a solid business is a good idea and this curriculum provides 2 years of business training taught by men who have achieved success in business, you will not find this anywhere else.
- It is light on parents. Parents are required to do very little as far as teaching goes. I go to my parents for advice because my dad is a chemist and my mom is an accountant. They have experience in these fields so they occasionally help explain certain concepts, but for the most part they do not have to do much. This is a benefit for both the parent and the student.
- There are no textbooks to buy. With the exception of the business course there are no textbooks. This is not only more affordable, but there is less bulk. It is easiest to have everything in one place, so downloadable PDF’s make everything more simple.
- No “busy work.” While this curriculum is rigorous everything you do has meaning. There is no pointless time-consuming work. Each class takes at the most 1 hour a day.
- Guidelines to take cram courses to CLEP out of your first two years of college, so that you have the opportunity to enter college as a junior. There are ways to beat the system and save time and money on a college education. The RPC offers everything you need to start this on the right foot.
- Type speed. Through weekly essays, and research, I have more than doubled my typing speed. I have been learning from other online sources, but without this curriculum I never would have sought out ways to improve my speed.
purplefrog01 