Ervin

I am an educator and nationally-acclaimed writer with years of experience as a classroom teacher, writing mentor, and college essay specialist. I’ve helped students from sixth grade to graduate level feel more confident in their writing and get accepted to top universities. I was once a young kid struggling with reading disabilities myself, so I understand the impact of choosing the right academic mentor.

Tutoring Style

What I’ve experienced, and what I believe most experience, is confusion about the writing process. Every student has more than their fair share of brilliant ideas, but putting them on paper feels like painting a masterpiece when you don’t know how to paint. That’s why I want it to be a collaborative effort to set the rules. What are the real goals of our writing? After we decide what is most important for us to share, much of my work with the student will be to decide how best we organize, brainstorm, and turn ideas into comprehensive pieces of writing. Then, after the shape of the essay is complete, nitpicky details like grammar and sentence structure come last. It doesn’t take artistry to make a great essay. It simply takes planning and a little bit of guidance.

Success Story

In my first year as a teacher, I had a student struggling in my class. I was normally grading papers late at the end of a school day, so I suggested he come in and discuss answers with me to homework and quizzes as I was grading them. That way, he would get to hear and see the material again in a more casual way and ask all the questions he liked. He would do this every Tuesday and Thursday, and when he came, I found that he could frequently explain concepts back to me with ease. Homework that took him days, he was doing in real time at the same pace as others in the class. When I asked him why it was so much easier outside of class, he explained it was like a clearing in the fog: he could focus on processing the information rather than writing it down, and there was no potential judgment from classmates for asking a silly question. Our sessions together helped him see that concepts needed time to process for everyone, and helped him better understand how to study and learn comfortably outside the classroom. I learned soon after that he no longer needed as much support going forward, and that sometimes introducing a student to a more comfortable way of learning can be just as effective as teaching the material itself.

Hobbies & Interests

I enjoy skateboarding in the park, playing basketball with friends, and reading literary magazines. Recently, I’ve been trying to get faster at solving a Rubik’s Cube.