Reading, Writing and Rhetoric

Learning to Write Well, Read Well and Think Clearly!

Live Class Meetings: Thursdays, January 15, 2026 to May 16, 2026 - 1:00 pm Eastern / Noon Central / 11:00 am Mountain / 10:00 am Pacific

Student Support: The instructor is available via email and for special individual sessions with students as needed.

Feedback/Assessment: Students will be assessed on their written work.

Materials: All reading materials will be available on the internet. Please have a working printer for special assignments.

Description: In this class, we will learn good writing, research and reasoning skills by reading well-written material and by analyzing what we read for content, style and lucidity. Each class will feature the following:

Reviewing the writing the students have submitted as homework.

Suggestions for corrections and revisions of the students’ work (this is always done with good humor and grace; I make sure that I don’t embarrass anybody; students may also have their submissions read anonymously in class, since feelings can be sensitive).

Drilling the basics of grammar, spelling, vocabulary and syntax.

Reading an example of published writing that fits that week’s lesson (mysteries, reports, descriptive writing, poetry, etc.)

Showing how to write in a similar style, imitating the example that we’ve just read.

Breaks and fun moments: short videos and educational games to liven up the class

I will give in-depth feedback to each student, adjusting my approach to each student based upon his or her abilities and current writing skillset.

And I always make each class fun, lively and engaging!

About Me

I'm Kevin O'Brien! I am a creative and passionate online teacher. Here are a few things about me ... Professional Actor and Comedian Many years ago, I made a living as a stand-up comedian. I also owned my own singing telegram company and performed over 2,000 singing telegrams in the St. Louis metro area. In 1991, I performed at military bases around the world with an Old Fashioned Comedy Melodrama that I wrote and produced, on a USO-style tour. Since 1989, I have been producing and performing in my own interactive murder mystery dinner theater shows. I appear in about 150 live performances a year, at venues such as mansions, wineries and dinner trains. I write all of the scripts and we perform a different script every month! Click on the photo below to visit my murder mystery website. To get a better idea of the kind of shows we do, check out the promo video I put together for George R. R. Martin, who hired us to perform murder mysteries on his train in New Mexic...

Rave Reviews!

"I cannot tell you what a difference your class has made this semester for [my daughter]. She came downstairs the other day and said, 'I'm so sad that Mr. O'Brien's class is over.' This semester I watched some of your classes with [my daughter] because she'd say, 'Mom, you're going to love this! Pull up a chair!' You are an outstanding teacher ... We are so grateful for your impact on my daughter's life," "We love Mr. O'Brien!! Our son is really enjoying his class this semester. Thank you so much!" You are so very real and down to earth, so spontaneous. You're not afraid to just be who you are. You are alive and that's what your students love. Of course you can throw in a great sense of humor and intelligence to boot. Thank you for drawing all your friends more deeply into the mysteries of life. We can't help but think about the deeper things, the most important things in life...you lead us ...

Speech, Debate and Communications

Students will learn the fundamentals of spoken communication in this two semester course. The focus will be threefold: study, theory and application. The “Study” component will focus on the greatest speeches and debates in history, from the “Apology” of Socrates to “I Have a Dream” and beyond. These famous speeches and debates will be analyzed from the perspective of argumentation, structure and rhetorical devices, forming the theoretical basis for in-class application. The “Application” of what we learn will consist of several speeches and debates that will be conducted live in class. Students will present individual speeches and will engage in two-person debates. Students will be coached in how to avoid common errors, such as saying “like” as a filler word, how to speak extemporaneously when called upon (particularly in an oral exam) and how to be effective and engaging when addressing an audience. FALL: 15 Sessions - Tuesdays at 8:00 am Pacific; 9...

Classes with Kevin

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