ROBERT DANIEL RUBIN, PhD

During the past two years, I've seen more and more students relying on AI to “write” their essays for them. This becomes a trap. By not pushing themselves to formulate their own arguments, analyze literature, and use language effectively, they deprive themselves of crucial academic skills. Gaining entry to the college of their choice and flourishing in the professional world requires mastering language arts. Students pay a price for not learning to write well. Taking the easy way out shuts doors and forecloses possibilities.

I teach middle school language arts at a private academy. I also offer one-on-one instruction in language arts, with an emphasis on essay writing, to students in sixth through ninth grade. In my tutoring, I help learners open doors to academic and professional success. My students learn to read essays and stories critically and write more effectively. They review the fundamentals of rhetoric. They study texts in their historical context. They sharpen their ability to write persuasive essays, gaining ease and comfort in a process that can seem overwhelming. Many of my students come to enjoy essay writing in a new way by experiencing it as participation in an ongoing conversation. Everyone wants people to listen to them and take them seriously, and writing effectively allows that to happen.

In my personalized instruction, my students and I move at whatever pace best suits them. Whether they seek to hone their already sharp writing skills or overcome their fear and resistance to writing, they make satisfying progress in our work together.