Meet Susan Avar

I’m an academic essay writing and literary analysis expert first

And an English teacher second; I have been teaching essay writing and literary analysis to Canadian, American, British and International high school and college students for over twenty years.

How did I arrive here?

As a child, my father’s passion for reading infected me and I became an avid reader at a young age, gobbling up the children’s classics, and later, the adult ones. In high school, my favourite subjects were History and English Literature, so initially, I pursued both disciplines in university. Later, my passion for History transformed, and I studied Political Science, International Relations, and some of the other Social Sciences.

While writing research essays came easily after I vigorously studied the process and writing methods of published research papers, I struggled with English essays for some time.

Image Description
I vividly recall that I received 72% on my first English essay, after graduating high school with a final grade of 94% in English Literature. (I had to discuss the protagonist’s conflict in the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a true classical piece some parents may remember reading).

How could this have happened?

I reasoned that despite my excellent high school education and teachers, I had not been taught literary or critical rhetorical analysis. Moreover, I started seeing that I had serious knowledge and writing practice gaps: one, I didn’t really understand essay structure or know how to form thesis statements; two, I lacked the ability to view a story critically.

As my university years were passing, I became determined to understand what it took to write exceptional academic essays; however, upon graduation I realized that even though I had figured out how to write really well to benefit myself, TEACHING outstanding writing to students was another skill entirely.

Image Description

In a moment of epiphany

I realized that I had to figure out how to break down the teaching of academic writing into a “science” for students. 

So, I began obsessing: I studied “how to” guides and books on essay writing, talked with teachers about what constitutes really good analysis, mirrored the writing techniques and styles of peer-reviewed and published scholarly works, and sought out mentorship with an accomplished educator and was helping the majority of her students consistently achieve marks in their nineties on their Senior year final exams.

So, I began obsessing: I studied “how to” guides and books on essay writing, talked with teachers about what constitutes really good analysis, mirrored the writing techniques and styles of peer-reviewed and published scholarly works, and sought out mentorship with an accomplished educator and was helping the majority of her students consistently achieve marks in their nineties on their Senior year final exams.

As the obsession to perfect the teaching of writing techniques continued, I developed a program to help high school students master academic writing and analysis: The Mirror & Integrated Analysis Method (M.I.A.M). This writing method has been helping students in Regular, Honours, AP & IB (SL & HL) English classes bridge the analytical gap that exists between the high school classroom and university expectations.

When I’m not teaching or reading in my classroom, or condensing two decades of knowledge into an English textbook and workbook that will be published in 2026, I’m exploring the outdoors with my children and husband, snowboarding in the mountains, traveling and visiting family and friends in far away places, and listening to music or attending concerts and shows.

 

Image Description

The Mirror &

Integrated Analysis Method

Has been helping students get top English class and final exam marks for over twenty years, and continues to improve with each passing year. Students leave unstructured, vague and aimless, repetitive and summary-style writing behind and become masterful writers because of the steps outlined below:
  • Teachers DEMONSTRATE the process of analyzing fiction and non-fiction; they show students how to analyze various genres of literature, news articles, speeches and scholarly research.
  • Teachers then DEMONSTRATE excellent writing by constructing thesis statements, topic and transitional sentences, paragraphs, essays and sophisticated sentences, all the while explaining the logic behind the writing techniques in real-time.
  • Students then MIRROR the analysis and writing processes to internalize the concepts and techniques; this allows them to gain confidence as they begin to hone their writer’s voice and start taking charge of their academic performance.
  • Students get CONTINUOUS AND DETAILED FEEDBACK every class in REAL-TIME, so they unlearn bad habits like repetition, summary writing and wordiness. Teachers guide students and show them how to be specific by noting nuances and insights (using literary theory), and how to express themselves clearly.

My MISSION

Is to teach exceptional academic writing and analytical skills to
ambitious high school students who want to earn top English grades,
thrive in university classes, and become articulate and confident writers for life.