Writing and Essay Coaching Archives

Zachary Brewer

April 15, 2016

Zachary Brewer is a private tutor specializing in elementary and middle school math, writing for all ages, and technology. With over 15 years of experience in education, he brings a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to tutoring that helps students connect core academic skills to creative, real-world applications. Zach is also a coder and curriculum designer with a growing focus on generative AI. He is currently developing instructional materials on prompt engineering and exploring how to teach students to use AI tools for research, creative work, and strategic planning.

Zach currently teaches 4th grade math at Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy II, a role that blends his passion for rigorous academics with his commitment to educational equity. Prior to this, he served for over a decade as the Educational Technology Specialist at Corlears School, an independent elementary school in New York City. There, he designed and implemented a comprehensive PreK–5 technology curriculum that integrated digital literacy and creative problem-solving into every subject. His students explored math by programming interactive art, studied science through animation projects, and developed writing and storytelling skills by producing their own short films.

Earlier in his career, Zach worked as a math enrichment teacher at P.S. 85 in the Bronx, where he created Math Art, a visual, project-based curriculum for grades 2–4. The activities in Math Art helped students build fluency with key math concepts while also nurturing creativity and confidence. Zach later self-published the curriculum as a book, which has sold over 6,000 copies and is used by teachers around the country.

Outside the classroom, Zach enjoys hiking and camping, photography, and playing 1960s and ’70s pop songs on the piano.

Charlotte Kent

April 15, 2016

Raised in a diplomatic family, Charlotte Kent wandered across Europe with her parents, becoming fluent in French while attending the Lyçée Français, before settling in the United States to attend boarding school at Philips Academy Andover. She then pursued a “great books” education, receiving her BA in Philosophy and the History of Math in 2002 at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. She worked for an art school and then ran the education division of a medical publishing company in New York before returning to graduate school in 2009. While pursuing her graduate work, she was a Fellow at The Writer’s Institute, working under Leo Carey (The New Yorker), John Freeman (Freeman, formerly of Granta), among others. She has written for both academic and general audience journals and magazines. In 2014, Charlotte completed a PhD in Comparative Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center on contemporary experiments in art writing.

Charlotte Kent, PhD, has taught at New York University, the School for Visual Arts, Mercy College, as well as CUNY’s The City College of New York and Baruch College. As a private tutor, she has worked with high schools students from around the world and across the NYC area through the college application essay and across diverse subjects, including all levels of French. Most of her work focuses on helping students improve their reading comprehension and critical writing across all subjects in preparation for papers, exams, standardized tests, and applications. Beyond her work tutoring in-person, Charlotte has worked via Skype and other collaborative tools with students who live abroad, move, or travel frequently with their families.

Daphne Muller

August 6, 2015

Daphne Muller is a Private Tutor and professional writer with deep expertise in writing coaching, academic enrichment, and test preparation. She has successfully guided students through the ACT, SAT, ISEE, SHSAT, and New York State exams, tailoring her teaching to meet the unique learning styles of each child. Daphne believes that effective tutoring goes beyond mastering subject matter; it’s about empowering students to take ownership of their education and equipping them with the tools to become confident, self-sufficient learners. She enjoys working with children of all ages and takes pride in helping them reach their full academic potential.

In addition to her work as a tutor, Daphne is a UX Content Designer at Meta, where she specializes in AI. Her background in technology includes roles at Google and Indeed, where she honed her skills in crafting clear, human-centered communication for digital products. This combination of tech and education reflects her ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, impactful language.

Before transitioning into the tech world, Daphne directed a think tank at Columbia Law School, where she oversaw research and writing initiatives on law, policy, and social issues. Her professional writing career includes contributions to Salon, The Huffington Post, ELLE online, Big Think, Ms. Magazine, and other leading publications. Across all of her work—whether in the classroom, tech industry, or publishing—she brings a sharp editorial eye and a commitment to clarity, insight, and creativity.

Daphne holds an honors B.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Religion and Literature from Yale University. Her academic background informs both her teaching and her writing, grounding her approach in critical thinking, intellectual rigor, and a passion for learning.

Jennifer Epstein

January 16, 2015

Jennifer has an M.F.A. in fiction from Columbia University and a Masters of International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She did her undergraduate work at Amherst College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a double degree in English and Asian Studies.

She is the author of four acclaimed novels — The Painter from Shanghai, The Gods of Heavenly Punishment, Wunderland, and The Madwomen of Paris — which have been published internationally and recognized with awards and critical praise. In addition to her fiction, she has contributed to LitHub, BookRiot, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Self, McSweeney’s, Tablet, Knight-Ridder Financial News, The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, and The Nation (Thailand). She has also worked at the NBC and HBO networks—jobs that have taken her from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Bangkok to New York. A music lover, during her years in Japan was part of a bluegrass band in Kyoto and worked as a DJ in Osaka and Tokyo, experiences that deepened her interest in cross-cultural storytelling and creative communication.

Jennifer currently teaches undergraduate creative writing at Stony Brook University, and she has taught graduate-level fiction workshops at Columbia University as well as courses at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Beyond the university setting, she has worked extensively as a writing coach with students in primary school, middle school, high school, and college around the globe. She has also collaborated with organizations such as Girls Write Now and within the Brooklyn public school system, further broadening her experience with diverse students and learning environments.

At My Learning Springboard, Jennifer draws on her background as a novelist, journalist, and educator to help students strengthen their skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking as a private tutor. She takes a highly individualized approach, meeting students where they are, integrating personalized reading suggestion and writing exercises, and thoughtfully guiding them toward confidence and clarity in their written voice.

When not researching, writing, or teaching, Jennifer can usually be found reading, running (slowly, and usually to an audiobook), hiking with her daughters, or spending time with her husband and Mei, their sweet but highly distractible Springer Spaniel.

Elizabeth Walters

October 1, 2014

A graduate of Smith College and Columbia University, Elizabeth Walters draws on years of experience as a writer, editor, certified teacher, writing consultant, and private tutor as she helps students succeed in reading, writing, and standardized tests. As a high scorer herself, with GRE marks in the 96th percentile for Verbal Reasoning and the 97th percentile for Analytical Writing, she knows how rewarding it can be to achieve one’s goals.

Elizabeth holds a BA in English language and literature from Smith and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia, where she was awarded a prestigious fellowship to teach University Writing, Columbia’s first-year composition course. Her classes included sections specifically for international students and for students of non-traditional ages and backgrounds. After commencement, she has continued on at Columbia as a consultant in the university’s writing center, which serves both undergraduate and graduate students.

Before starting graduate school, Elizabeth spent several years teaching middle- and high-school English, reading, and standardized test preparation. She has worked with students on all skill levels, from remedial to on-level to honors students, and she has taught children with various exceptionalities, including ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, giftedness, and emotional/behavioral disorders. She has tutored both public and private-school students. She loves individual tutoring because she enjoys being able to customize lessons to help specific learners succeed. Before becoming a teacher, Elizabeth was a copy editor and reporter at the Concord Monitor, an award-winning newspaper in New Hampshire. She continues to work as a journalist; among the publications that have featured her pieces are the Times-Picayune, the Village Voice and the website of the Washington Post. She brings to her writing instruction her experiences as an editor of thousands of articles and as a coach for thousands of academic essays. She has edited dissertation chapters for students at institutions such as MIT, Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis, in subjects as varied as inorganic chemistry, law, and forensic anthropology. No matter what the topic or genre, she prizes readability and clarity in writing, and she helps her students develop those qualities in their pieces.

Elizabeth’s favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and editing. She enjoys finding a favorite coffeehouse in each neighborhood where she tutors. She also enjoys playing her violin, hearing live music, walking around the city, and exploring the geography and culture of New York.

Charlotte Kent

Daphne Muller

Jennifer Epstein

Elizabeth Walters

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