Colette Bailes Reviews
Parent (English Foundations 2) – May 2, 2023
Colette is an excellent teacher. She requires a lot from the kids and they rise to the challenge. My daughter has learned so much from her over the last 2 years. This course is excellent prep for high school and college. It is a pretty heavy workload which was challenging to be able to pull off all of the other subjects well, however, I am so glad that she’s gotten this excellent foundation in writing etc., and I wouldn’t change it as it has required my daughter to step up and rise to the challenge. After years of homeschooling (we have 2 college graduates) we feel like we have hit the jack -pot with Colette’s classes. Thank you for everything!
Parent (Intro to Literature & Academic Writing) – April 24, 2023
I feel like my son would be well prepared for most college writings now. He’s always been a strong reader, but this class got him more familiar with literary analysis. I think this course prepares students for high school and college. Ms. Bailes provides prompt, thorough feedback. Ms. Bailes puts in a lot of effort and time into each other her students. Her feedback is always very detailed and thoughtful. We were impressed with Ms. Bailes and would not hesitate to recommend her classes to friends.
Parent (English Foundations 1) – April 24, 2023
I think is has been a good, comprehensive middle school course. I was very impressed with Ms. Bailes. Her feedback was always thorough and prompt. I would definitely recommend her classes in the future and wouldn’t hesitate to take more of her classes. Ms. Bailes herself far exceeded my expectations and the course materials are what I expected. She is generous with her time and the feedback that she provides, which helps the students learn. She is also prompt with her feedback. This is particularly helpful for writing assignments. Ms. Bailes is a wonderful teacher. We plan to take more of her classes in the future.
Parent (English Foundations 1) – April 22, 2023
Mrs. Bailes has done a fantastic job teaching English Foundations. It is a subject my son has really struggled with, and I feel he has a much better understanding of the subject after taking this class. Mrs. Bailes is great at explaining things in an easy to understand way. She also did a great job of correcting mistakes, and helping my son understand the corrections. She kept the class interesting.
Ying-Ya Shey (Parent Intro to Literature and Academic Writing)– June 5th
I feel like this class was very informative for Nicholas. His writing has matured, along with his literary analysis. Mrs. Bailes’ class has been the best class that Nicholas has taken. The discussions in the live class led by the teacher were very helpful, especially in honing Nicholas’ analysis skills. I would highly recommend this class to others.
Nicholas Shey (Student Intro to Literature and Academic Writing)–
This class was great. I learned a lot about academic writing thanks to Mrs. Bailes! At the beginning of the year, I struggled at academic writing. Now, I am skillful at crafting body paragraphs and analyzing points. Additionally, I practiced my public speaking skills when answering questions in class. This literature class was by far the most informative class I have ever taken.
I was a student at AIM during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. During my formative years, I enjoyed a variety of educational formats including various online programs, private, public, and traditional homeschool models. Of all of these, AIM allowed me to learn and grow the most. Every instructor I had was engaging and attentive. They made sure to keep the subject interesting and ensure that each student felt their voice was valued. In addition to the incredible teachers, the courses were challenging and fun and they prepared me for AP and college courses. I am currently a student at The Ohio State University and my experience with AIM prepared me to tackle collegiate level coursework. Discussion based learning, independent responsibility of assignments, and the platform on which homework is assigned and submitted are all aspects that students will see in a college setting. AIM prepared me well for that type of learning environment..
Every AIM course I participated in was beneficial to me in one way or another, but Colette Bailes’ Intro to Literature and Academic Writing gave me countless skills that have proven invaluable to me in the college setting. Her class gave me a strong foundation to be successful in the various writing assignments I have faced. She gave me skills to be able to adapt to what each professor wants to see in a student’s work. In addition to this, the book list was incredible and her live class was always invigorating. Mrs. Bailes is one of the most genuinely kind and caring people you will ever meet and I enthusiastically recommend her course!
Elizabeth Hagerup (Parent Intro to Literature and Academic Writing)– March 7th
When my oldest son was in high school, I wanted to teach him how to be a better writer and how to edit his papers–but I didn’t know how to grade a paper I had helped to write and edit! We muddled through 9th grade but decided we needed help starting in 10th grade. I explored a lot of on-line options and found AIM Academy’s “Intro to Literature and Academic Writing.” The description was exactly was I was looking for and the price was competitive. We could only afford one on-line class, so it was a risk, but we decided to try it. I am so glad we did! AIM’s “Intro to Literature and Academic Writing” was perfect for us. It challenged my son and was a huge help to me! The teacher, Colette Bailes, was supportive and encouraging. My son went on to take two English AP classes his junior and senior years and easily made “A’s” in both classes. He is more science and math-minded, so this is clear proof of the excellent foundation AIM Academy laid for him. Last year my second son also took AIM Academy’s “Intro to Literature and Academic Writing,” and he, too, is getting an “A” in his first AP English class this year!
Elisabeth Cobbs (Student Intro to Literature and Academic Writing)–
I was enrolled in AIM Academy classes in 8th and 9th grade, and my experience was absolutely phenomenal. I believe that great class material and teaching are crucial, but that the teachers themselves are most important. Personally, I am a social butterfly, and having a teacher who is friendly and interested in their students’ lives is a huge factor for me. It helps me to stay interested in doing well in the class if the teacher cares. AIM Academy definitely provided this for me. Every teacher I had was extremely helpful and friendly, as well as highly knowledgeable in their subject. It was also very nice to have teachers supporting Christian values and worldview, especially when it comes to science.
Also in 2015/16, I took Mrs. Bailes’ Intro to Literature and Writing class. This course truly changed my life. I came to Mrs. Bailes not knowing the first thing about writing an essay, and she taught me everything I needed to know about academic writing and more. I was truly a horrific writer and wasn’t catching on, but she was so patient and helpful. Gradually, my writing improved until it was almost unrecognizable from the start of the year. I am now in college where several professors have praised my writing skills, and I owe this all to Mrs. Bailes. As well as being an amazing teacher, Mrs. Bailes was so invested in my life and the other students’ lives, and really took the time to get to know us, which was beyond special. As for the course content, the books were all wonderful. I read several books that I would never have chosen to read on my own, some of which are now among my favorites (bookworm alert!). This class was monumental on my road to academic success.
Overall, I cannot think of a single negative aspect in my time at AIM, and I am so thankful that I could be a part of it. I am also so thankful for my amazing teachers who truly shaped my life and taught me so much.
M.P. (Parent Intro to Literature and Academic Writing)–
This is an excellent course!! In this class, my daughter read several excellent books as well as greatly improved her writing skills.
Mrs. Bailes provided constant feedback as my daughter worked to improve each paper she wrote. It was obvious that Mrs. Bailes cares deeply about her students and desires for them to grow and succeed.
This was by far the best literature class I have ever taken! The books were interesting and fun to read and Mrs. Bailes’ class discussions and lectures showed me how to look at a book’s themes from multiple angles. The class greatly improved my writing skills and taught me how to write a cohesive thesis statement as well as an organized academic paper, which are skills I will continue to use as I go through highschool and eventually college. Because of Mrs. Bailes’ class, I now genuinely love writing and no longer see it as just another subject I have to pass in order to graduate. I had a lot of fun in this class and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their critical thinking and/or writing skills!
I absolutely loved this class. Mrs. Bailes is a brilliant and engaging teacher who is well-rehearsed in this field. She provided thought-provoking ideas and analysis during class, along with asking questions that made me think about the book at a different angle. On my writing assignments, Mrs. Bailes gave such in-depth feedback and helpful tips that allowed me to grow not only as a writer, but also as a thinker. The books assigned were books I usually wouldn’t take off a shelf, but ended up actually being a joy to read. I learned so much from each book when looking for literary devices, and my knowledge expanded further from our weekly discussions in class. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is considering it. I learned so much!!
This class greatly improved my writing skills through its multiple writing assignments, which I am thankful for because the ability to write well will be a useful tool throughout the rest of my life. The books were interesting and enjoyable to read, and lecture times were also engaging and helpful. In fact, I liked the lecture times so much I was sad when the class ended. Overall, I highly recommend this class for people who enjoy literature and want to improve their writing skills.
I highly recommend this class for developing writing skills. This was especially a great opportunity to learn how to write large academic papers. This was a great tool for learning many writing skills, which I will continue to use throughout the rest of high school and into college. I appreciated that we had plenty of direction, which included a live class every week, and the ability to email Mrs. Bailes any time we had a question. Another bonus is that while taking this class you are not just learning writing skills, but also reading and studying important novels. This has been one of my top classes this past year.
I highly recommend Mrs. Bailes’ Introduction to Literature and Academic Writing to students who want to improve their writing skills, as well as learn the tools necessary to succeed in the higher grades. The class was challenging, yet manageable for a dedicated student, and introduced so many wonderful pieces of literature. The children found themselves disappointed the class was coming to an end, yet thankful for all the knowledge they gained throughout the year. Mrs. Bailes is an engaging, supportive instructor who provides a wonderful platform for students to challenge their creative thinking skills, while allowing them to explore the deeper meaning of some amazing pieces of literary works. I highly recommend this class.
This is a wonderful class and a truly blessing for my daughter. Being a novice writer and no prior experience with academic writing, Rachel enthusiastically dove into the class. Her zeal was met with excellent support from Mrs. Bailes. She has blossomed and learned so much through the class. We could not ask for a better class to prepare her for the next language class she will take. Rachel was so looking forward to her classes every week that she grew depressed when there isn’t any. Mrs. Bailes’ lead in classroom discussion is the best I have heard, and I have been in school for 20 years. We highly recommend this class for anyone.
I really enjoyed Mrs. Bailes’ class, “Intro to Literature and Academic Writing.” I learned a lot from the class, especially through the major academic writing projects I undertook throughout the year, and Mrs. Bailes was very helpful and responsive with all my questions; she provided helpful feedback and rubrics. I read interesting books and the class discussions were eye opening. Not only did I learn much about academic writing, I also learned about literary terms to incorporate in writing and use to express myself. I highly recommend this class to students who are looking to improve their knowledge of literature and their academic writing skills.
I am so thankful to have Mrs. Bailes teaching my children. My son took this class a few years ago and it was such a wonderful and challenging class for him that I signed my daughter up for the class and she is taking it currently. My son was always a strong reader but my daughter had some challenges in her reading and writing so I was concerned about her ability to excel in the class but Mrs. Bailes was able to challenge her and increase her love for both reading and writing. I am very thankful for her teaching style and her belief in her students as long as they work hard. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who wants their student challenged and motivated to write well.
I am so glad that we picked this class for my ninth grader this year. He is enjoying it tremendously but also learning so much! Growing up in India, I never had formal writing training, so I was never able to give him productive feedback on his writing. Mrs. Bailes’ class has been a real blessing, giving him tools and processes needed to put together a good paper.
This is an excellent course!! In this class, my daughter read several excellent books as well as greatly improved her writing skills.
Mrs. Bailes provided constant feedback as my daughter worked to improve each paper she wrote. It was obvious that Mrs. Bailes cares deeply about her students and desires for them to grow and succeed.