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Private Tutoring for Language Arts, English, and Social Studies

Reading and discussing novels, stories, and poems can be immensely rewarding. But translating thoughts into prose can be challenging and sometimes frustrating for students, especially when they first learn to write reports and essays. Even the most perceptive and imaginative student can falter when it comes to bringing ideas alive on the page.

We draw our instructors from the faculties of elite boarding schools and prestigious universities. Most have master’s degrees or Ph.D’s, and they are extremely accomplished in literary interpretation and analysis. Not only will they help your child learn a greater command of the written word, but they will encourage his or her interest in literature itself. With the tutor’s support, your child can unlock the pleasures of a text and gain a better grasp of its significance.

Our writing tutors guide students through each step of the essay-writing process, from first steps (reading, note-taking) to final touches (proofreading, formatting). Target areas in the tutoring sessions may include:

  • reading comprehension
  • outlining
  • textual interpretation
  • analytical skills (going beyond the “book report”)
  • comparing and contrasting texts
  • crafting an argument
  • using quotes and textual evidence
  • refining grammar, sentence structure, and linguistic agility

The process of learning to write an essay can be challenging for students, and a strong foundation provides a platform for later success. Our outstanding tutors can help your child become a more expressive, polished, and powerful writer.

Our English & Literature Writing Instructors:
Our team of English & Literature writing instructors includes the tutors below. Click on the instructor’s short profile to access his or her full profile:

Ursula D., Ph.D.
Ursula D., Ph.D.
Education

Oxford University, PhD in Modern History
Harvard University, BA in History and Literature (Honors)
Phillips Academy, Andover


Summary of Experience

Ursula is a writer and historian who is currently a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Science Department at Harvard University. Her first book, on nineteenth-century physicist John Tyndall, was released in March 2011. She has also taught an undergraduate history course at Oxford and worked as a teacher and tutor at the Marymount School of New York for two years.
Danielle M., M.F.A.
Danielle M., M.F.A.
Education

Emerson College, MFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing
Georgetown University, BA in Psychology
Phillips Academy, Andover


Summary of Experience

Currently a member of the English faculty at Lawrence Academy, Danielle also works with the Academy's College Office, assisting students with the college-essay writing process. She has also taught at Andover's summer school, where she instructed students in the rigorous MS² program and edited the program's alumni magazine. Before becoming a teacher, Danielle worked as a writer and journalist for The Boston Phoenix.
Robin E., M.F.A.
Robin E., M.F.A.
Education

Columbia University, MFA in Writing
Princeton University, BA in English (Honors)


Summary of Experience

Robin is an adjunct professor of sitcom writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She has written for several television shows, including Clued In and What About Joan, and periodicals ranging from The New York Times to Glamour. Her children's books include three Junior Editions of The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook, the eight-book series The Groovy Girls, and the Young Adult novel God Is In The Pancakes.
Katrina G.-S., M.A.
Katrina G.-S., M.A.
Education

Boston University, MA, Earhart Fellow in Journalism & Sociology
Boston College, BA in Theater Arts


Summary of Experience

Katrina’s travel essays have been published by NPR, National Geographic, The Christian Science Monitor, and CNN-go, among others. Her children’s book, Ma, The Search for Silence, is forthcoming from Little, Brown, and Company in 2013. She taught writing at the prestigious Kikokushijo Academy in Tokyo, where she was also a TV Journalist and Producer for NHK- World, and for Atraves in Nicaragua.
Anindita S., M.F.A.
Anindita S., M.F.A.
Education

Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults
Boston University, MA in English, Creative Writing Program (Poetry)
MIT, SM in Media Arts and Science, Future of Learning Group
Wellesley College, BA in English and Computer Science (Honors)


Summary of Experience

A co-founder of TheWritingFaculty, Anindita has worked extensively with students in middle school through graduate school on academic writing and admission essays. She was a founding faculty member at a charter school in Cambridge, MA, where she taught middle school Humanities in a mixed-grade, inclusive classroom. She also taught undergraduate creative writing at Boston University.
Marisa H., M.F.A.
Marisa H., M.F.A.
Education

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, MFA in Fiction Writing
Fulbright Fellow in Creative Writing to India
University of California, Berkeley, BA in English and Interdisciplinary Studies Field, Phi Beta Kappa


Summary of Experience

As a teacher, tutor, and workshop leader, Marisa's students have ranged from struggling writers to M.F.A. candidates. She has taught at universities including Stanford and U.C. Berkeley in composition, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Her memoir Loyal to the Sky (2007) won the Nautilus Gold Award for World-Changing Books. In 2010, she received a Fulbright fellowship in Creative Writing.
Ian C., M.A.R.
Ian C., M.A.R.
Education

Boston College, PhD in Philosophy (Expected)
Yale University, MAR in Philosophy of Religion, magna cum laude
Oxford University, Visiting Student in Political Philosophy
Gordon College, BA in Political Studies, summa cum laude 


Summary of Experience

Ian began to tutor while a graduate student at Yale, initially focusing on test preparation and then expanding to academic writing and admission essays. His own writing spans scholarly, journalistic, and professional fields. Ian writes about art and culture for several national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, where he was also a Bartley Fellow.
Cara K., M.Ed.
Cara K., M.Ed.
Education

Lesley University, MEd
Northwestern University, BSJ, Medill School of Journalism


Summary of Experience

A private tutor and teacher, Cara combines concrete feedback with encouragement to help students become concise, clear, and effective writers. With a background in journalism and experience in communications, she tutors students in journalism and professional writing in addition to academic writing and admission essays.
Amy A., M.A.T.
Amy A., M.A.T.
Education

Boston University, M.A.T. in English Education
Boston University, M.A. in Creative Writing/Playwriting
State University of New York at Albany, B.A. in English, Summa Cum Laude


Summary of Experience

Amy has taught in both traditional and alternative classroom environments and tailors her approach to fit each student's learning style. A playwright who has had her work produced at the Boston Playwrights Theater, Amy tutors students in academic writing, admission essays, and playwriting.

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