Michael Landes - Tutor
New Yorker, writer, cat parent, and (I hope) your new tutor.
Get to know me below, and be sure to say hi!
My tutoring philosophy.
Since I began tutoring five years ago, I've worked with students from the age of 6 to 18, on a number of subjects. I love studying and learning, as is clear from my academic achievements, and I found tutoring to be a great way to share my passions.
I started by tutoring K-5 students, who often needed help with concentration and study skills. I enjoy working with younger students, though they can be challenging! Later, I taught high schoolers, who were better at focusing but also better at hiding bad study habits. This mix of students shaped my approach as a tutor.
I teach skills for any subject, regardless of the topic at hand. For example, I break the problem into smaller, easier pieces, and I make being wrong less scary by encouraging wrong guesses. Perhaps most importantly, I validate how the student feels. By telling students that homework can definitely be a pain, I tell them that I’m with them, not against them.
My goal is to help my students do well without my help. If my approach means immediate results, that’s great! But I really want my students to reach their academic goals more easily in the future.
Please reach out to me directly with any questions or to book a meeting, and keep reading below for more about my background and areas of focus. I'm always happy to talk!
Contact Me
1 University Place, Apt. 15D
New York, NY 10003
michaellandes127@gmail.com | Tel: 917-969-4430
Email or text message is strongly preferred as I may not be able to accept calls from unknown numbers.
Areas of Focus
Background and Resume
More About Me
I'm proud of being a native New Yorker, growing up next to Washington Square Park in the Village. I was lucky enough to attend The Dalton School for middle and high school, where I built many great relationships with classmates and teachers. Upon graduating, I spent a semester at Oberlin College before coming back to New York to study at NYU. I'm proud to say I made the Dean's List every year, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA in one of my two majors (Dramatic Literature). I'm now enrolled in the Dramaturgy MFA at Columbia, graduating 2024.
My Interests
My first passion is theater and writing for theater, which has led me to the Sorbonne in France, La Mama Umbria in Italy, and the Belgrade Arts Studio residency in Serbia. One play of mine received an Outstanding Playwriting award from the Planet Connections Festivity in New York as well. At NYU, I also studied philosophy with professors like Tim Maudlin, Robert Hopkins, and Peter Unger, all significant philosophers in the contemporary American analytic tradition.
Unsurprisingly, I'm also an avid reader and art lover–I love visiting galleries and museums in New York and attending all kinds of performance. Birdwatching is another one of my pastimes, particularly in Tompkins Square Park. Last but perhaps most importantly are my two cats, Blue and Al (named for two bookstores in my area). They are the worst and best things to happen to me!
Pricing
Please contact me (via the above form or email) for information on pricing and rates. My rates depend on the number of lessons, number of hours per week, and my availability. I am very open to accommodating economic need.
I offer in-person tutoring anywhere in New York City. I'm happy to travel to wherever is convenient–your home, school, library, coffee shop, or anywhere else–and I can work with you on identifying a good location.
​
I also offer online tutoring for students anywhere outside of New York (I've taught students in Texas, California, and elsewhere remotely). I tend to use Zoom, but I can use the best videoconferencing software for you.
​
I accept all major methods of payment (cash, check, Venmo, Paypal, electronic transfer) and am happy to accommodate any method of payment best for you.