“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” –WB Yeats

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Alexander has taught English, coached, and dorm-parented for nearly 20 years at Dartmouth College, The King School, Kingswood-Oxford, Philips Andover and The Taft School. He is an expert at the college application process, including college essay writing, standardized test preparation, and the recommendation process. He has tutored hundreds of adolescent teens and young adults from middle school through college level on all spectrums, behaviorally and academically. He attended Philips Exeter Academy and received an undergrad degree from Kenyon College and a Masters Degree from Dartmouth College.  He lives in Middlebury, CT with his three rug rats and wife, Alexa.

 

“Keep your face always towards the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”  -Walt Whitman

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Geoffrey has taught courses in German language and literature, comparative literature, English literature and composition, world literature, journalism, history, philosophy, and art history at Brown University, the Université de Lyon II, and the University of California, Davis. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Brown and a Masters in Art History from UC Davis. He has been awarded the Fulbright, two DAAD grants (German Academic Exchange Service), and was a Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Dia Art Foundation in Beacon, NY.

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Courses available with Geoffrey: 

• German All Levels
• English All Levels
• Composition and Essay Writing
• Grant Applications and Personal Statements
• US and European History
• Civics and American Politics
• Art History

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Test Prep Available with Geoffrey: 

• SAT Reading, Writing, Language, and Essay Sections
• ACT English, Reading, and Writing
• AP German Language and Culture
• AP English Literature and Language
• AP Art History

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”  -Plutarch

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A fifteen-year veteran teacher, Alex has spent the last nine years teaching high school English at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore. Over his career he has taught both AP English courses (Literature and Language) as well as several electives including “Modern Short Story” and “Literature of Baltimore.” He holds a BA in English from Kenyon College, an MAT in English Education from Brown University, and an MA in English Literature from Bread Loaf School of English (a graduate program affiliated with Middlebury College). Alex regularly writes for various publications including Boys’ Latin’s own in-house magazine. He lives in Baltimore with his wife Maya and their four-year-old twins (a boy and a girl).

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Courses available with Alex:

• AP Literature
• AP Language
• British Literature
• American Literature
• World Literature
• Writing & Composition

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Test Prep Available with Alex:

• AP Literature
• AP Language
• SAT Reading & Writing
• ACT English & Reading
• GRE English

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“It is in our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light”                            -Aristotle Onassis

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Prior to joining the Cushing faculty in the fall of 2000, Stirling spent four years working as a counselor to high school students at an educational not-for-profit in New York City, and three years teaching English as a Second Language in Ecuador. He received his B.A. in psychology from Wesleyan University and his MsEd in Second Language Education (TESOL Concentration) from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Mr. Ince is also a graduate of Dulwich College (London, England) and St. Mary’s College (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad). In addition to his teaching duties, he is the head coach for both varsity boys’ cross-country team and varsity track and field team. He is the dorm head of Johnson House.

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Courses available with Stirling:

• Spanish- All Levels
• Beginning Intermediate Listening & Speaking,
• Reading 1 & 2
• Advanced-Intermediate Writing & Grammar
• Grammar & Composition
• ESL Support for World Literature
• ESL Support for American Literature

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Test Prep Available with Stirling:

• TOEFL Prep

“True education is a kind of never-ending story — a matter of continual beginnings, of habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness.”  – J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Stephen attended the University of Oxford, where he received his B.A. in Philosophy & French, followed by his MSt in Ancient Philosophy. For the past five years, Stephen has taught and mentored students from middle school through college in positions all over the world, from the UK to South Korea. He focuses on language and humanities instruction, coupled with intensive writing skills and college application coaching. His language studies saw him teach English for a year in southern France, as well as holding a technical translation position in Spanish in Barcelona. He has received formal training in mental health support, and has substantial experience working with students with anxiety and depression. Stephen is a warm and dynamic individual, who focuses on creating an open and engaging learning environment. He is currently based in the UK, where he enjoys reading, taking long walks, and playing the guitar and piano.

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Courses available with Stephen:

• French
• Spanish
• English
• Philosophy
• Italian
• Latin
• Ancient Greek
• World History
• Math

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Test Prep Available with Stephen:

• AP French
• AP Spanish
• AP Literature
• AP Language
• SAT Writing

 

“Teach the children… So it will not be necessary to teach the adults.”                                -Abraham Lincoln

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Melissa graduated from Cornell University, where she majored in History with minors in German and Latin American studies. Melissa started her teaching and tutoring career in college, where she helped students strengthen their writing across the disciplines, logging over 1000 hours. After graduation, she moved to Tokyo, Japan, where she taught English as a second language to middle school students. Presently, Melissa is pursuing her master’s degree in social studies education at Brown University. Melissa is also a private tutor, helping students of all ages excel in history, writing, English and Spanish, as well as the college admissions process. As a tutor and mentor, she strives to build meaningful connections with her students, empower them, and help them realize their full potential inside and outside the classroom.

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Courses available with Melissa:

• Social Studies
• Writing & Composition
• AP Literature
• AP Language
• AP Spanish

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Test Prep Available with Melissa:

• AP Literature
• AP Language
• SAT Writing
• ACT English portions
• IELTS
• TOEFL

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”                                  -Steve Jobs

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Tressa Thompson received her B.S. in Civil Engineering, after which she joined the Peace Corps and taught secondary physics and math in Cameroon. Upon returning to the United States, she continued working in the realms of youth development and education. Tressa graduated from NYU in 2020 with her M.A. in International Education, after which she taught 8th grade STEM at an independent school in Brooklyn. She loves a lot of things, including wandering through the woods for days at a time, running, biking, eating delicious food with good friends, both reading and smelling books, and social justice. Tressa can help you crush the ACT/SAT or the AP Calc test, befriend algebra, and learn to love physics. She centers her work with students on relationship-building, and Tressa believes that “success” can mean a lot of different things for different people.

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Courses available with Tressa:

• Physics, All levels
• Algebra
• Pre-Algebra
• Geometry
• Trigonometry
• Precalculus
• Calculus (AB/BC)

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Test Prep Available with Tressa:

• AP Physics
• AP Calculus
• SAT
• ACT
• PSAT
• SSAT
• ISEE
• SHSAT

“Education is the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.”  –Albert Einstein

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Parker has taught physics and math at boarding schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut for five years.  He has worked at Phillips Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall and at Taft School, where he currently teaches an introductory physics course to 9th and 10th graders.  Parker attended Phillips Academy, studied physics and astrophysics at Harvard University and is pursuing a master’s of science degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University.  Parker was a member of the rowing team at Harvard and pursued rowing after graduation for a couple of years. What Parker enjoys most about teaching physics is helping students connect with the physical world and develop problem solving skills that can be applied beyond the classroom. Using a structured and student-focused approach, Parker connects with young, motivated students on many different fronts and allows students to tap into their potential through hard work and persistence. 

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Courses available with Parker:

• Physics (Accelerated or Regular Levels)
• AP Physics 1 and 2

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Test Prep Available with Parker:

• AP Physics
• ACT Science
• SAT Math

“It always seems impossible until it is done” -Nelson Mandela

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Freda earned degrees from Princeton (B.A. Economics/Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs), Yale (M.A. Political Science), M.P.A. Harvard (M.P.A. JFK School of Government), University of Houston (J.D. Law). She also completed the Post Masters Certification in Secondary Social Sciences from Manhattanville College, and holds teacher certification from the State of Connecticut.  Freda has been videotaped by The Council for Economic Education (NY), teaching model lessons for their “Economics in US History” instructional series. She stays updated by regularly attending their workshops, as well as those sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of NY.

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Courses available with Freda:

• Economics/Government
• Micro & Macro-Economics
• Intermediate Microeconomics
• Advanced Microeconomics
• Finance
• Sociology
• US History
• World History
• Political Science

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Test Prep Available with Freda:

• AP US History
• AP World History
• AP US Government
• AP Comparative Government
• AP Human Geography
• AP Economics
• AP
• IB

“One’s sense of failure is a measure of one’s feeling of potential”                                   -Alain de Botton

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One of the nation’s leading interventionists, Dr. Dan Villiers has education, motivated, and inspired more than 700 families to pursue treatment for their children with acute anxiety, OCD and Trauma.  In the spirit of entrepreneurism Dan has founded four anxiety treatment programs for school-aged children; most notably The Anxiety Institute in 2016, an intensive day program in Greenwich, CT, and Mountain Valley Treatment Center in 2010, the first non-hospital residential anxiety program in the United States.  He has published articles, appeared on radio and TV, and given over 100 presentations in the US and in Europe on the nature, experience, and impact of Anxiety; and ways to address the epidemic individually and systematically.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”                             -Samuel Beckett

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Jon graduated from Pomona College, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He has taught writing, philosophy, literature, coding, and German language courses for over six years at Cornell, and has worked with many high-school students as a college admissions counselor and test prep tutor. Jon prides himself on working with students of diverse cultural, learning, and academic contexts. When not teaching, Jon is busy researching linguistics and computational approaches to language. He has worked with several top scholars in his field; edited and published academic books and journals; and been awarded several research fellowships. In his free time Jon enjoys woodworking, DIY electronics, cycling, and guitar.

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Test Prep Available with Jon:

• SAT all sections
• ACT all sections
• GRE all sections
• AP Calculus (AB & BC)
• AP Multivariable Calculus
• AP Computer Science (Python or Java Specialist)
• AP Statistics
• AP US History
• AP European History
• AP World History
• AP US Government
• AP Comparative Government
• AP German
• AP French

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” -Plato

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Eric is a former professor at Macalester College and UCLA, and has fifteen years teaching experience in both high school and college settings. He has been a professional tutor and college counselor for the past eight years and his specializes in ACT, SAT, and AP Preparation. He developed the ACT/SAT curriculums at two separate education centers in Southern California, and has been an official AP History grader for ten years, with extensive knowledge of all AP History curriculums. Eric earned a PhD in history from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and has published multiple articles in professional historical journals. Eric’s has also taught several nonfiction writing classes and can help people with all stages of essay writing, from brainstorming to final edits. After spending many years in many educational roles, Eric has found that his favorite kind of teaching is working with engaged students one-on-one. He takes pride in his ability to connect with people, and to take complex ideas and explain them in ways students can understand.

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Test Prep Available with Eric: 

• SAT Reading and Writing
• ACT English and Reading
• AP US History
• AP World History
• AP US Government
• AP Comparative Government

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Ilya Gofman has worked in the test prep industry for over 15 years. He started tutoring shortly after graduating from Yale and continued tutoring through graduate school and as part of his professional life. His extensive experience allows him to break standardized test questions down into specific question types and provide strategies for each type. He has also worked with students of all skill levels and can adapt his approach based on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition to standardized test tutoring, he has taught as an adjunct professor of philosophy at several universities including Southern CT State and Sacred Heart. Much of his experience teaching at the college level has involved helping students become clearer thinkers and better writers. Ilya’s background in the humanities allows him to provide academic help for any humanities-related subject, including English Literature, Philosophy, History, Psychology, and Sociology. He is also comfortable tutoring math up to the Pre-Calculus level.

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Courses available with Ilya:

• English
• Philosophy
• History
• Sociology
• Math through Pre-Calculus

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Test Prep Available with Ilya:

• SAT All Sections
• ACT All Sections
• GRE All Sections
• GMAT All Sections
• SSAT All Sections
• ISEE All Sections

Deborah received her undergraduate degree from New York University, in marketing and sociology before matriculating to Yale University, where she earned two Master’s Degrees in Sociology and taught as an assistant.  She went on to pursue a successful career in academic and corporate research, both in the US and abroad; she has traveled to over 35 countries. In her transition to elementary education, Deborah has more than a decade of professional and personal experience working with children grades kindergarten to five in the Spackenkill school district. Deborah provided special education services to elementary and middle school students in the Wappingers Central school district during the same time period.  Deborah knows how to advocate for students so they can receive the support they need in order to be successful.  In addition to loving children, Deborah loves exercise, especially tennis and yoga, along with art and current events.

 

 

Kristen has taught elementary and middle school in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey and most recently taught in the Fairfield and Westport Public School districts. Kristen has experience teaching all grades, K-6, and is a certified teacher in the state of Connecticut. Kristen holds an Undergraduate Degree from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s Degree from the University of Hartford. Kristen’s teaching style combines energy and passion with flexibility and clear, concise instruction. She is exceptionally good with working with a variety of learning styles, including those students who suffer from anxiety and other challenges. Kristen has coached ski club, Junior Varsity Field Hockey, worked with Girl’s on the Run and created and ran after school clubs for elementary, middle and high school students. She is an avid reader and hopes to instill a love of reading in all of her students.

 

Beth has a stellar performance record teaching diverse learning needs in the New Canaan school district. Her nurturing and positive approach is the foundation for providing a positive, safe environment that enables children to take academic risks that promote self-confidence and significant learning growth. Beth has 15 years of teaching experience, the most recent 4 years as a second-grade teacher at New Canaan South School.  A world traveler, parent and former swimming coach, Beth holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville, and an undergraduate degree in Communications and Journalism from Rutgers University. She also holds state certifications from Connecticut and Florida (K-6), training in E-Learning and has completed the Summer Reading Institute at Teacher’s College at Columbia University.