Red Hook Tutors from Bard College

Hello, I’m Jesse! I’m in my second year at Bard college studying Global and International Studies with a concentration on Latin American and Iberian Studies and Spanish. My goal as a tutor is to support students academically by helping them develop confidence and a genuine interest in learning, even when the material is challenging. My passion for the humanities and for using writing as a tool for clearer thinking led me to pursue tutoring. I hope to encourage students to embrace the toughest parts of writing and ultimately use that struggle to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of a subject. I have long been the person my peers could turn to for help with coursework, and that has taught me how to effectively communicate how any piece of writing can be improved. I teach practical study strategies—breaking tasks into manageable steps, annotating texts productively, and outlining essays—that students can apply across disciplines. My approach to writing instruction is rooted in the tenets of effective and cohesive argument building, which ties into public speaking and oratory. I emphasize a ground-up strategy for crafting an argument which begins with talking ideas through before anything even gets written down–a practice that will naturally build a student’s confidence with speaking and presentation. My background in theater and speech and debate enables me to bring different strategies to this kind of teaching. Outside the classroom, I play on Bard’s tennis team. My love for the sport led me to work as a full-time tennis coach for students ages 5–14, which strengthened my ability to teach with patience, clarity, and encouragement. I look forward to utilizing my skillset to bolster students’ confidence and passion for learning by providing practical academic skills in an encouraging, stress-free way.