Award-Winning High School English
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Award-Winning High School English Tutors

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Mimi
Museum education taught Mimi to build understanding through questions rather than lectures — a habit that reshapes how students engage with novels, poems, and essays in high school English. Her art history training at Dartmouth means she's practiced at close reading visual and written texts alike, t...
Harvard University
Masters in Education, Education
Dartmouth College
B.A.

Certified Tutor
Reid's sociology training at Wesleyan — heavy on critical reading, argumentative writing, and dissecting how texts construct meaning — maps neatly onto what high school English actually asks students to do. He's especially strong at teaching students who feel more comfortable with ideas than with pu...
Harvard University
PHD, Education
Wesleyan University
Bachelor in Arts, Sociology
Certified Tutor
Christopher
Reading classics is one of Christopher's genuine hobbies — not just coursework — and that shows up in how he teaches literary analysis, connecting what students notice on the page to the larger arguments they need to build in essays. His mechanical engineering training at Harvard means he instinctiv...
Harvard College
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Certified Tutor
Liz
Running a tutoring program at a Boston charter school — and earning a master's in special education along the way — gave Liz a sharp eye for why a student's essay isn't landing, whether the issue is a muddled thesis, weak evidence integration, or paragraph-level organization that falls apart after t...
Simmons College
Masters, Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities 5-12
Washington University in St. Louis
Bachelor of Arts in History (minors in Humanities and Anthropology)
Certified Tutor
8+ years
Solange
Eight years of tutoring plus four years studying sociology at Harvard — where Solange also worked in the admissions office — gave her a sharp eye for how arguments are built, how texts reflect cultural context, and how to write prose that actually persuades. She teaches students to read literature t...
Harvard University
Bachelor in Arts (Sociology & Women's Studies)
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Henry
Henry's Harvard education was built on close reading and analytical writing, skills that map directly onto high school English coursework. Whether a student is dissecting the symbolism in The Great Gatsby or structuring a thesis-driven literary essay, he breaks down the process of turning observatio...
Harvard College
Bachelor in Arts, History
Certified Tutor
5+ years
Sabira
Analytical essays, close readings, rhetorical analysis — high school English demands that students defend interpretations with textual evidence, not just summarize the plot. Sabira's dual background in writing and applied mathematics gives her an unusually structured approach to essay construction, ...
Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor of Science, Applied Mathematics
Certified Tutor
6+ years
Ingrid
Between her biomedical engineering coursework and a double major in Asian Languages and Cultures, Ingrid writes constantly across wildly different registers — technical lab reports one day, literary analysis the next. That range gives her a practical grip on essay structure, grammar mechanics, and h...
Northwestern University
Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering
Certified Tutor
Elena
Curriculum development is Elena's day job — she designs culturally literate English courses for middle and high schoolers — so she knows exactly which reading and writing skills tend to fall through the cracks before students even sit down with a tutor. Her Religious Studies and Biblical Studies deg...
University of Edinburgh
Masters, Biblical Studies
Mcgill University
Bachelor in Arts, Religious Studies
Certified Tutor
Asta
Asta approaches English as an argument-driven subject: whether students are writing a literary analysis of *The Great Gatsby* or unpacking rhetorical strategies in a nonfiction text, she pushes them to ground every claim in textual evidence. Her University of Chicago background means close reading a...
University of Chicago
Bachelor in Arts in Political Science
Top 20 English Subjects
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Renee
Calculus Tutor • +37 Subjects
I am passionate about education, learning, teaching, and specifically literatures and languages. I have experience as an ESL teacher for young children and teens, as well as experience working as a Writing Consultant at my undergraduate institution. I also spent all four years of my undergraduate career volunteering as an SAT tutor for local high schoolers. Beyond this, I have experience both as a private and public Spanish tutor. I love to help students reach their educational and personal goals in any way that I can.
Keith
Calculus Tutor • +36 Subjects
I am a recent graduate of Williams College, where I studied political science with sidelines in history and English. Next fall, I am headed to Ithaca to study at Cornell Law School. I have experience tutoring in all subjects for high school standardized tests and in writing and history at higher levels, and am excited to pass on the benefits of my study as a tutor for the LSAT. I look forward to working with you!
Shayan
Calculus Tutor • +29 Subjects
I'm a pre-health student at the University of Pennsylvania, and have an extensive background in the sciences. I can also rock the SATs and MCAT, so I've got that going for me. I love learning with students and trying to make the tedious work of learning as fun as possible. I think and teach in examples and make abstract concepts easily understandable. I also love sports, adventures, travelling!
Emily
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +38 Subjects
I am a Yale graduate with over 8 years experience tutoring students from a variety of backgrounds. I recently graduated from the Yale School of Public Health with a MPH concentrating in Epidemiology and Global Health. I also received my B.S. from Yale with a double major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and French. I have experience both leading group classes and working with students one on one. I will respond to a student's strengths, weaknesses, and learning style in order to help them succeed and make the most of our time together. I earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT, 2280 on the SAT, and qualified as a National Merit Scholar on the PSAT. I look forward to working with you! Hobbies: writing, art, books, music, dancing, baking, reading
Brittney
Calculus Tutor • +29 Subjects
I'm a graduate of Princeton University (2009), with a degree in Comparative Literature. I'll be receiving my masters degree in English from Grand Valley State University this fall and I'm looking forward to working with students like you! I've been teaching and tutoring students since 2008 and I specialize in English, Reading, Writing, Essays, and College Entrance Test Prep.
Jacob
Calculus Tutor • +31 Subjects
I am an experienced and well-qualified essay coach, and a tutor in language arts and German. I also tutor students who are preparing for the SAT. I earned my B.A. in Comparative Literature from Columbia University and an M.A. in German from UC Berkeley, where I taught college German and received training in foreign language pedagogy. I love to learn, I am drawn to travel, and the experiences I have had enrich my work as a tutor. For me, tutoring is about more than making the grade or getting the right score; I always strive to foster insights and new skills that will help my students take charge of their own education.
Brian
AP Statistics Tutor • +115 Subjects
I'm a recent graduate of the California Institute of Technology in Economics and Computer Science. I was also accepted at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and Stanford. I have a broad range of interests spanning science, math, engineering, social science, the humanities, the arts, and athletics (I also played on the Caltech basketball team). My background allows me to tutor general college prep, especially the SAT, ACT and the GRE. I love to teach analytical thinking, ranging from advanced Math and Physics to strategies for understanding literature and developing arguments.
Yu
Calculus Tutor • +25 Subjects
I am a strong believer that anyone can learn anything! I attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate and recently finished my Master's in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a tutor, I create a space where my learners can feel empowered and safe to take on the sometimes difficult, yet often fulfilling and fun, challenge of learning new things. I practice a growth mindset philosophy, and I often say that it is okay to be wrong, it just means you haven't learned the material... yet. With patience and effective pedagogy, I strive to give my students confidence that they can learn anything they set their mind to. I take my students' desires, motivations, goals, and interests seriously. Fun fact: I am an international student from Malaysia! Hobbies: reading, cooking, music, art, books, dancing, writing
Jeff
Calculus Tutor • +46 Subjects
I am a life-long proponent of education and learning. I graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in philosophy. After working for a few years, including in book publishing, I returned to school and completed my M.A. in history at the University of California, Berkeley. While there, I taught history and philosophy classes to undergraduates. I also taught Standardized Test Prep (SAT and GRE) for Summit Tutors and Kaplan.
Tom
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +41 Subjects
I am a firm believer that clear, precise communication between student and tutor makes for a productive and fulfilling learning experience. When I work with students, I strive to listen carefully to find out exactly where they are struggling, and to impart corresponding strategies clearly and concisely. I work with them step by step until we zero in on exactly where the problem is occurring, and tailor solutions from there. These collegial and yet very focused discussions go a long way toward helping me to discern where the student needs help and helping the student to master the content he or she must learn, besides ensuring a pleasant and interesting learning experience.
Top 20 Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
High school students commonly struggle with essay organization and thesis development—knowing how to structure arguments and support claims with textual evidence. Literary analysis is another major challenge, as students learn to move beyond plot summary to interpret symbolism, theme, and author's purpose. Many also find themselves battling writer's block during timed writing assignments, and they often need help understanding the difference between grammar correctness and stylistic voice. Citation formats like MLA and APA can feel overwhelming when first introduced, and managing revision strategies—knowing what to change and why—is a skill that takes focused practice to develop.
A tutor can work with you to break down essay structure into manageable pieces: identifying your central argument, building topic sentences that support that argument, and gathering evidence from texts that actually proves your point. Rather than just telling you what's wrong, a tutor helps you see how each paragraph connects to your thesis and how to revise weak claims into compelling arguments. This personalized feedback on your drafts—sentence by sentence—shows you patterns in your own writing so you can apply those lessons to future essays.
Summary tells what happened; analysis explains why it matters and how the author creates meaning. When analyzing literature, you're examining how literary devices like symbolism, imagery, tone, and character development work together to develop theme. A tutor can help you move past "the main character learned a lesson" to deeper observations like "the author uses water imagery throughout the novel to represent the character's emotional transformation." This shift from plot-focused to craft-focused reading is crucial for high school English success and requires practice identifying evidence and making meaningful connections.
Strong writers break writing into stages: planning (outlining your argument), drafting (getting ideas down without perfectionism), revising (restructuring for clarity and flow), and editing (fixing grammar and style). Many high school students skip planning entirely and jump to drafting, which leads to disorganized essays and writer's block. A tutor can help you develop a process that works for your brain—whether that's detailed outlines, mind maps, or talking through ideas first—and teach you revision strategies that focus on big-picture issues before sentence-level fixes. Building this habit early makes timed essays and longer projects far less stressful.
Citations serve two purposes: they give credit to authors whose ideas you're using, and they allow readers to find your sources. MLA and APA have different rules for in-text citations, Works Cited pages, and formatting, and using the wrong format can actually lower your grade even if your essay is strong. Rather than memorizing every rule, a tutor helps you understand the logic behind citations and shows you how to use reference tools effectively. Once you grasp the pattern—whether it's MLA parenthetical citations or APA author-date format—applying it consistently becomes much easier.
Academic writing doesn't mean robotic or boring—it means clear, purposeful, and evidence-based. Your voice comes through in word choice, sentence rhythm, and how you connect ideas, even within formal essay structures. A tutor can help you identify your natural strengths as a writer and show you how to use them strategically: if you're good at vivid description, you might use precise imagery in your analysis; if you're witty, you might craft sharp topic sentences. The key is balancing personal style with the expectations of academic writing, which takes feedback and revision to develop.
Active reading—annotating as you go, asking questions about character motivation and symbolism, and connecting scenes to larger themes—helps you retain far more than passive reading. Many students read but don't engage, then struggle to remember details for essays or discussions. A tutor can teach you annotation strategies tailored to how you learn best, help you identify what's actually important to remember versus minor plot points, and show you how to take notes that support both comprehension and essay writing. These skills compound over time, making longer books and complex texts increasingly manageable.
Teachers often provide feedback on finished essays, but a tutor can work with you during the writing process—on drafts, outlines, and revisions—to help you understand your own patterns and make intentional choices. One-on-one feedback allows a tutor to explain why a sentence isn't working, show you examples of stronger alternatives, and help you practice the same skill on new writing. This ongoing, conversational feedback helps you internalize revision strategies rather than just fixing one essay; you learn principles you can apply to every piece of writing going forward.
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