Tutor in Brooklyn, New York

I am a recent graduate of Harvard College in History & Literature, with a focus on American cultural history, 1950-198.... My senior thesis is a corporate history of the malt liquor industry that highlights market segmentation, Black capitalism, and Blaxploitation film and soundtrack in post-war America. In the past two years, I have written archive-fueled explorations about a bevy of historical controversies with current relevance: The forgotten proliferation of anti-Russian Disney Westerns, the long-term influence of Les McCann and Eddie Harris on Vietnam protest music, the international impact of John Portman’s architectural philosophies, and the role of newspaper advertising in redlining and other discriminatory municipal legislation. My academic deep dives have given me a nuanced understanding of American History, all the way from Jamestown to the Iraq War. Whatever my topic, I strive to ask one universal question: How do the lasting legacies of racism, sexism, and classism impact the way my audience might perceive the piece? I applied these analytical queries to each of the hundreds of music features that passed by my desk at the Harvard newspaper (The Crimson), to the countless long-form creative non-fiction submissions that I judged for the literary magazine (The Advocate), and to the myriad pieces of criticism, profile, and investigative journalism that I have written. I have also applied these analytical skills to my work tutoring at prisons, community centers, and with fellow college students. There is nothing I enjoy more than conveying the complicated, terrifying, and impossibly important stories and trends that make up the history of the U.S. In addition to my historical work, I also love teaching more general study skills, English grammar, reading comprehension, essay writing, and novel-reading and analysis. Although I ended up doing well at Harvard, I have had periods of profound doubt about academia and have hit more brick walls with studying and focusing that I can count. My own periods of anxiety and pain about studying have convinced me that strictness, rigidity, or rash competitiveness are never the best ways to learn History, English, or other humanities disciplines. Instead, I work toward helping students find elements in their work—be it a paper on the Boston Tea Party, an essay on FDR, or a close-reading of The House on Mango Street—that genuinely excite them and take them out of the realm or required pedagogy. I am a firm believer that there is something in virtually any historical event, film, book, map, or piece of music that is exciting and relevant. I feel it is part of my mission, both as a writer and a teacher, to help figure out what that kernel of engagement may be for as many people as possible. I genuinely love academia and believe that I can help get you excited about the material or skills you need to feel at least something resembling love for your school work. If hired as your tutor, I pledge I would approach each day of work with energy, verve, and attention to detail. I will set clear expectations, provide detailed feedback, and bring humor and fun to all our work. I believe that learning should be full of laughter and will always provide wacky anecdotes, contemporary examples of the concepts we are exploring, and pieces of media that we can geek out with during study breaks. I hope to be working with you soon! Best, David Kurlander