Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Kusik.
Dan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a family that deeply values education—my father was a research engineer and both my mother and sister were teachers. After finishing graduate school, working as a tutor seemed like a natural fit for me while I figured out what to do with my life. Those first “A-ha!” moments—seeing the joy when a student first understands a concept that he had previously found perplexing, sharing the sense of triumph when a student worked hard and reached a particular goal—helped me realize that tutoring was what I wanted to do with my life. So I dedicated myself to a career as a tutor.
In 2003, I joined Advantage Testing of Boston, where I honed my instructional skills working alongside some of the country’s most accomplished and inspiring private tutors. Over my nearly 15 years with Advantage, I have worked in a one-to-one setting with hundreds of students, building a foundation of teaching experience that I draw upon in my work with students each day.
And every day tutoring students, I feel grateful to work in a field that I feel called to. Not only does tutoring bring me a profound sense of personal satisfaction, but I take pride knowing that the value of the educational experiences of my students does not diminish over time, but rather grows with them.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In 2008, my dear friend and founder of Advantage Testing of Boston, Mark Sander, passed away unexpectedly. Beyond the personal loss, our group faced a mountain of uncertainty. Having only ever thought about how I could be a better tutor, I assumed directorship of Advantage Testing of Boston and suddenly had to think about how I could best sustain the livelihoods of some 20 colleagues while running an ethical and meritocratic organization.
With the help of Arun Alagappan, the founder of Advantage Testing and a terrific friend and mentor, I dedicated myself to building a legacy of which Mark would be proud. Rather than circle the wagons, we redoubled our efforts and expanded our reach. We moved to a new location in a landmark building in Newton Center, nearly tripling our office space. We enhanced our offerings to include tutoring in more academic subjects, especially at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We expanded our public service initiatives, forming partnerships with schools such as the Boston Arts Academy and programs such as METCO at Concord-Carlisle high school.
After nearly a decade as Director of Advantage Testing of Boston, I am so proud of our group and the work that we do.
Advantage Testing of Boston – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Advantage Testing is a private tutorial and academic counseling service offering intensive, one-on-one tutoring that consists of learning and applying ideas, information and approaches in a systematic way.
We provide rigorous, long-term test preparation that emphasizes a test’s academic content while encouraging the strong study habits that help students to improve their scores and their intellectual confidence in general. Our consistently methodical approach to learning helps students grasp complex material and maintain their focus.
In terms of the focus of our work, sometimes we’re building or refreshing basic skills; sometimes we’re helping strive for the highest level of achievement; sometimes we’re working to overcome learning difficulties; sometimes all of the above. The benefit of one-on-one teaching is that we are able to adapt the program precisely to the student’s needs and goals.
Advantage Testing’s approach is long-term and intellectually rigorous so that students can build concrete skills in academic fundamentals: math, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. That primary connection between hard work and academic excellence informs all our methods.
Our tutors are dedicated educators and exceptional communicators who can understand and explain the advanced academic material. They know that being a great teacher entails listening at least as much as talking. They are committed to their students’ success, and they have lifelong records of outstanding academic achievement.
Students benefit enormously from working with a tutor who can help them grasp the intellectual concepts and develop a systematic, organized approach to mastering the material.
If a student sits down and learns the academic content of standardized tests, the student’s scores will improve, along with his or her academic performance. Studying for any academic test, including standardized tests, is time well spent. A good tutor helps make this studying effective.
By teaching content, academic approaches, and nuance, by organizing materials and concepts into logical frameworks, by setting realistic schedules and consistent goals, tutoring can make an enormous difference in a student’s outlook and experience.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
With high school students, in particular, preparing for and taking the SAT or ACT has become something of a teenage rite of passage. The stakes are high, and beyond the immediate benefit of admission to a competitive college, the emotional and psychological rewards of pushing through obstacles and achieving one’s goals at this stage of one’s life are truly vast.
In our experience, much of the anxiety surrounding standardized testing springs from the misconception that one cannot prepare for them. We help our students recognize that by working hard they can master academic material and improve their scores. We offer a methodical approach to learning that can help students maintain their focus over the many hours of hard work necessary to prepare for the standardized entrance exams such as the SAT, ACT, and SSAT. Our tutors work with their students to set realistic schedules and consistent goals.
We rely on the empathy, insight, and creativity of our tutors to plot the most successful course for each individual student. One-on-one instruction has proven to be particularly well suited to helping students manage any anxieties they might experience. Students develop a profoundly personal relationship with their tutors based fundamentally on trust and mutual respect. When tutors tell students that they can improve in areas in which they are currently struggling, those students tend to believe it.
Similarly, tutors precisely identify and correct the gaps in a student’s knowledge or understanding. When a student achieves that flash of insight and begins to master a concept with which she had been struggling, her stress level decreases and her confidence goes up.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10 Langley Rd., Suite 403 Newton Centre, MA 02459
- Website: https://www.advantagetesting.com/locations/boston
- Phone: (617) 630-8680
- Email: boston@advantagetesting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advantagetesting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdvantageTesting/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1565907/
Image Credit:
Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots
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