The Program

My approach to helping you work through a program of study for realtime writing using StenEd realtime theory can be summed up in one word: PERSONALIZED.

As a contributing member of the Yahoo group for court reporting students, over the past six or seven years I have read emails from students who study online or at a school, and regretfully, they often are frustrated with their teachers and the lack of help they have received. They turn to this Yahoo group for support, general information, tips, motivation, etc. I don’t want you to get frustrated and discouraged and give up.

How long is the program?

There is no set time frame to finish the theory. There are 40 lessons in the StenEd Realtime Theory manual, and each of these lessons can be successfully completed in one week, bringing the total to 40 weeks. To these 40 weeks, my program includes an additional 8 weeks for review time and an introduction to speed building. The goal is to get you to write simple literary material at 60 words per minute with accurate notes and near-perfect transcription. Note that I mention “ near-perfect.” No one is perfect all the time. Not me, not you.

Students who learn a skill such as stenotyping always progress at their own individual rate of comprehension and application. If you are a returning student and want to review your theory fairly quickly, obviously you’re at an advantage and will finish the program in less than 48 weeks.

If you are a new student and can plan on studying and practicing 2 to 3 hours per day, then 48 weeks will be our goal. But that’s our goal – between you and me – and I will tailor your progress to your individual needs to help you finish within 48 weeks if at all possible.

From Day 1, I want you to enjoy and be excited about your studies, and I will make every effort to ensure it stays that way. You will find the lessons easy enough with my explanations, tricks, hints, and motivation. My emphasis will be on your complete understanding of each lesson and your progressive skill development in the use of the stenotype machine as a tool for verbatim writing.

Too many instructors do not help their students develop the ability to read their steno notes, and you will soon realize I am very demanding insofar as your rapid reading of notes is concerned. I want you to be excellent at what you do, and I do not want you to wind up just being an average verbatim reporter. The more skilled you are, the more marketable you are. The more marketable you are, the sooner you will be on the job market and earning an excellent salary.

Once you have registered with STENOTYPE TUTOR, I will send you your first three lessons right away at the email address you supply. After that, I will send you 1 lesson each week, unless you’ve successfully completed lessons at a faster pace. We’ll work together to make sure you’ve always got new lessons to work on and you’re not waiting for new material.

You will need to submit your notes to me for specific assignments, and you will do this by scanning them on sheets of paper as pictures (.jpg documents) and emailing them to me. I absolutely MUST see a copy of your paper notes for each lesson assignment, even if you are using a transcription software program. If you do not have access to a scanner, there are many places, such as Kinko’s, that will allow you to use their scanners, and the cost is usually minimal.

I offer constructive criticism and praise every little effort you make as you work through each lesson and submit your evaluation materials. Your goal is my goal, too, and I want you to succeed.