Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you tutor online or in person?
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I do both. If you are near the southern Adirondacks, you may attend sessions at my office on Main Street in the Village of Northville. Online, I use Google Meet. In general you will choose one or the other, but I also offer online sessions as a contingency in the event of bad weather or illness. We can also switch seasonally or to accommodate shifting schedules.
What ages do you tutor?
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I work with students or prospective students high school age and up. I do not tutor elementary or middle school pupils. I also assist adults who are in college, returning to college, considering another degree or applying to college for the first time later in life, or already in continuing education or graduate programs.
What subjects do you tutor?
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I can help with all of the fields listed on the front page of this website as well as cognate disciplines (civics, political science, etc.). My expertise is in the social sciences and humanities; I am not a mathematician or hard scientist. The primary service I offer is tutoring in how to be a student no matter what you are trying to learn.
What can I expect from the process?
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We begin by articulating your goals. I strongly recommend you fill out a one-page intake sheet and set up a free consultation, so I can best assess your needs. Once our sessions begin, you can expect a written review after 3 sessions to assess whether the fit and approach are working, and then a recurrent review every 6-8 weeks.
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You will need a computer or tablet and an internet connection; no special software is required. Sessions can be conducted on a smartphone in a pinch, but I would definitely recommend a larger device for school and college work in general if you can afford it. Basic computer literacy is helpful, but I can walk you through any troubleshooting.
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Do you offer SAT or other standardized test prep?
No. There are free and cheap options available for standardized test prep that are a better use of your funds than a highly personalized tutor. My service is geared toward those aspects of education that are not easily reduced to a fixed format: writing, reading, argument, figuring out what a course or a degree is actually asking of you.
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Do you work with students who have learning differences?
Yes. I'm not a special education specialist, but in 28 years of teaching I've worked with many students who learn differently. I'm happy to follow the accommodations in your child's IEP or 504 plan and adapt how we work to suit them. Please share the plan, or the parts of it relevant to tutoring, before we begin.
For students under 18, parents are welcome partners from the initial consult to regular progress updates. Session content itself stays between tutor and student, so students can speak freely. For students 18 and over, or enrolled in college, the student is the client. I'm happy to keep parents in the loop with the student's written consent.
These are hard times for families across the country. I offer an array of options to get you or your child the help you need, from tutoring packages to premade courses on in-demand subjects. My per-session rates operate on a sliding scale fee tailored to your household income. If you are uncertain, book a free, no-risk consultation.
The current generation of LLMs favor confidence over accuracy and will cheerfully deliver completely wrong information to you while sounding absolutely correct. Even when they are able to find intel you can trust, their access to data is limited. Using these tools effectively is a skill. AI literacy is something I can help you work on.