Parent FAQs

Three things will set your family up for success:

• Log in to Canvas using the Canvas Login button on our website. Both you and your student will use the same button, but you each have separate accounts.
• Watch the How-To video, which focuses mainly on writing courses. Watch it here →
• Go through the Welcome to WriteAtHome course on your Canvas dashboard. It's a great resource for both parents and students, covering all the courses we teach.

If there's anything you'd like your student's writing coach to know about your student, submit a Special Consideration Form. Coaches read these and take them seriously.

Yes. Our How-To video focuses mainly on writing courses and walks through logging in, navigating Canvas, checking grades, and viewing coach feedback. Watch it here →

For information about all the courses we teach, go through the Welcome to WriteAtHome course available on both parent and student Canvas dashboards. It's a great resource to go through before the first lesson.

That's up to you. We work with parents who are very hands-on and parents who prefer a lighter touch. What matters most is that your student is logging in and submitting work each week.

Whatever your style, these three habits make a real difference:

• Check for missing assignments. Log in to your Canvas observer account, open your student's course, and click the Grades tab. Any assignment not turned in will show as Missing in the Status column. You can also get the Canvas Parent App and set notifications so you're alerted automatically.
• Review coach feedback. Coach feedback is returned inside Canvas after each assignment. Take a few minutes to look it over with your student when it arrives.
• Understand how grades work. Writing coaches provide grade recommendations for every assignment. You can use those to assign grades in your own records with confidence.

The Special Consideration Form gives you a chance to tell your student's writing coach anything that might be helpful to know: a learning difference, a difficult season your family is going through, a specific goal you have for your student, or anything else.

Coaches read these forms and take them seriously. If there's anything that might affect how your student engages with the course, we'd encourage you to submit one. Submit the form here →

Your Enrollment Account (also called your WAHOOS account) is where you manage everything related to ordering and enrollment. You can review past orders, access receipts, and enroll in additional courses.

How to Use Your Enrollment Account to Enroll Students:

1. Log in using the Enroll Now button on our website. You'll log in using your email address and the password you created when you set up the account.
2. Select the course(s) you want.
3. If the student has taken a WriteAtHome course before, you'll see that student's name and will assign the class to them. If you have several WriteAtHome students, you'll get a dropdown list to choose from.
4. If the student you're enrolling hasn't done a WriteAtHome course before, fill out the required information.
5. Continue choosing courses for your student(s). You'll be able to assign students to each course selection and can have several students on one order.
6. When you're finished, go to your cart and follow the prompts for payment.

Your Canvas observer account lets you monitor your student's coursework, check their grades, view coach feedback, and message their coach. You can see everything your student sees without being able to submit work on their behalf.

Log in using the Canvas Login button on our website. Your student has a separate Canvas student account and should always log in with their own credentials.

Canvas is the learning management system where your student's courses live. Students log in to access lessons, submit assignments, and receive feedback from their writing coach. As a parent, your observer account lets you see your student's courses, grades, and feedback without affecting their work.

Canvas is made by Instructure and is used by schools and universities worldwide. WriteAtHome uses it as the home base for all of our courses.

If the term hasn't started yet, the course won't appear on the main dashboard. Have your student go to Courses > All Courses > Future Enrollments to find it there.

If the course isn't showing there either, reach out to Customer Care and we'll look into it.

This almost always means your student is accidentally logged in to your observer account instead of their own student account. Observers can view assignments but can't submit them.

Have your student log out completely, then log back in using their own Canvas credentials. If the button still doesn't appear, reach out to Customer Care and we'll take a look.

Log in to your Canvas observer account, open your student's course, and click the Grades tab. You'll see all assignments and their status. Anything not yet turned in will show as Missing in the Status column.

You can also download the Canvas Parent App on your phone and set up notifications to alert you when assignments are late or missing.

This is the step most people miss, so here's exactly how to find it:

1. Log in to your Canvas observer account and open your student's course.
2. Click the Recent Feedback link on the right side of the course page, or click Grades.
3. Click on the assignment you want to see feedback for. This opens the Submission Details page.
4. Click the View Feedback link. This is the part most people miss.

No. That's what your student's writing coach is for. Coaches return every paper with detailed feedback and a grade recommendation. You can use those recommendations to assign a grade in your own records with confidence.

Coaches submit grade recommendations inside Canvas after returning feedback on each assignment. You'll see those in the Grades tab of your observer account. The Welcome to WriteAtHome course explains how grades work in more detail, including how to interpret what you see.

Life happens. If your student falls behind, the best first step is to reach out to their writing coach directly through the Canvas Inbox. Coaches are understanding and happy to work with families on a plan.

For bigger issues such as illness, a family emergency, or an extended absence, reach out to Customer Care and we'll figure out the best path forward together.

You can reach your student's writing coach through the Canvas Inbox. Log in to your observer account, click the Inbox icon, and send them a message. Coaches typically respond within a day or two.

For anything administrative such as enrollment questions, billing, or account issues, reach out to Customer Care instead.

• Contact your coach about feedback on a specific paper, concerns about your student's writing progress, letting them know your student will be away, or anything course-related.
• Contact Customer Care about enrollment changes, billing, login problems, technical issues, or anything about your account.

Our Customer Care team is available Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Email is the fastest way to reach us. We check it throughout the day and typically respond within one business day. Reach out to Customer Care →