BookShark LAMP provides students who enroll in a BookShark Virtual Language Arts course with additional language arts skills with a professional teacher to mentor them through their writing assignments, providing feedback and grading. This course is an addition to a Virtual seat.

LAMP lives within BookShark Virtual for easy access with the purchase of a Virtual seat. Through this online tutoring portal, the LAMP mentor will access student work and communicate with the student, allowing them to strengthen and grow their writing skills.

Our 2024 LAMP sessions are sold out, but auto-graded virtual Language Arts courses are available here!

Why use LAMP?

Many homeschool parents consider Language Arts the most challenging subject to teach especially when it comes to objectively scoring student writing.

LAMP alleviates the stress of teaching the writing process by having an outside professional mentor provide technical feedback on writing assignments with online tutoring, while guiding students through grammar and mechanics instruction.​

How will my family benefit from LAMP?

The Parent Using LAMP Will:

  • Get a break from being the sole instructor
  • Be assured their child is receiving outstanding help in an academic area where they may not feel fully equipped.

A Student Using LAMP Will:

  • Gain independence as a learner
  • Receive online tutoring with constructive feedback and praise from a certified writing teacher
  • Learn from an outside and neutral third party (instead of a parent)

Read what other parents are saying about LAMP

My family greatly enjoyed having Mr. Myers for our children's 4th and 6th grade BookShark English teacher. I can honestly say that their writing skills improved more in one year with Mr. Myers than in all the previous years they had been enrolled in school! He was an effective teacher, despite the pandemic, and his critiques were timely and appropriate. I look forward to having him teach my children this upcoming school year.

- The Dahleens

Our 9th grade BookShark student was both encouraged and stretched as a result of Mr. Myers' grading/feedback. We loved Mr. Myers' insights regarding areas to improve while our student gained more indepenedence. Mr. Myers was easy to relate to, provided feedback regularly, and was prompt with his grading. As parents, Mr. Myers' grading and insights gave us added confidence, highlighted areas our student was either strong or needed improvement and provided us an educational safety net. We would sincerely look forward to having Mr. Myers again in the future, and highly recommend his teaching abilities!

- Michelle

[My daughter] was already an exceptional writer [before using BookShark MAP], so I did not expect much to come of the experience other than the occasional "nice work" or "comma missing here" feedback. I was pleasantly surprised when [her mentor] Mr. Myers provided comprehensive and constructive critique for each piece of writing in a timely manner. He was quick to priase and develop her strengths while also gently addressing issues that were keeping her writing from being the absolute best it could be. I am so grateful for how he was able to help her grow as a writer this year.

- Becky Schaap

How do I enroll my student in LAMP?

LAMP is an additional complementary program to BookShark Virtual Language Arts. You will need to purchase a Language Arts program AND the Virtual Seat for it to add LAMP. On the customizations tab of an All-Subjects, Reading with History, or Language Arts Package, add the Language Arts Mentor Program (LAMP) to your cart.​

LAMP costs a mere $10 to $17 a week, depending on your level  of Language Arts.

Meet our LAMP mentor

Dave Myers has been an English and PE teacher in northeast Michigan for the past 30 years after graduating from Central Michigan University with both his BS and Master’s degree in education. He has worked with students ranging from middle school to college bound seniors in high school. He specialized in AP Literature, American Literature, College Prep Writing, and the study of grammar. During that time, he and his wife, Jen, raised four children who were all homeschooled until they went to high school. He has worked with public school, homeschool, and online students over the course of his career.

In addition to teaching English and PE, Dave is a published author. He is recognized throughout the Midwest as an avid outdoors’ writer for online sources, magazines, and newspapers. In addition to the outdoors’ writing, Dave has spoken as a motivational speaker at men’s conferences, as well as being a featured guest on several sportsmen’s radio programs.  While teaching, Dave also served as a baseball coach for 23 years. During his time as coach, over 40 of his players went on to play collegiately on scholarship and work towards their degrees.

Traveling and backpacking into remote rugged wilderness are additional passions. Hiking in the Canadian Rockies and territory in British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska are all highlights.  His wide array of interests in the classroom and outside the classroom give him a wealth of experience to rely upon when relating to and teaching young people today. His stories and experiences, woven together with classroom materials and discussions create an engaging online tutoring environment for students to learn in.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use LAMP?

Watch this short video for a quick tutorial on how to use LAMP.

What is the schedule for 2024-2025?

SESSION 1 - LAMP START DATE: August 5, 2024
SESSION 1 - LAMP END DATE: May 19, 2025

SESSION 2 - LAMP START DATE: September 3, 2024
SESSION 2 - LAMP END DATE: June 16, 2025

VACATION WEEKS:
November 23, 2024 - December 1, 2024
December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025
March 15 - March 23, 2025

LAMP will be offered for Language Arts Levels D, E, D+E, F, G, H, and I, J & High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Is there an enrollment capacity limit?

Language Arts Mentor Program has a first-come-first served enrollment cap. Purchasing LAMP is not a guarantee that you will be accepted. The purchase of LAMP moves you toward the approval process. If enrollment exceeds the maximum capacity, we will issue refunds in a timely manner.