@hel{eiuU*@k imes The Metro Section WEDNESDAY JUNE1,2OO5
Tirtors Hold Key to Higher TestScores,for aHigh Fee
By HOPE REEVES
tl ,8
f, dam Fisherrememberswalking home from elementary school I lthinking not aboutMister Softee or Ms.PacManbut aboutMs.Grace.his third-gradeteacher.Why,he wondered, hadsheexplaineda newmathconceptin sucha roundabouwt ay? If only shehad laidit outlikethis,herecallsthinking,re- workingthe lessonin his head,thenwe w o u l dh a v eu n d e r s t o o di t i m m e d i a t e l y . This was not the first time Mr. Fisher had ponderedthe art of teaching and learning.In fact,hehadbeentutoringhis classmates incethepreviousyear,hav- ingdiscoveredthathehadaknackfor ex- plainingconcepts otheotherkidsunder- stoodthem. ll A slenderfellow with a goateeand a massofcurlyhair,Mr. Fisher,34,still tu- torsstudents.Onlytodayhisstudentsare s e e k i n gh i g h e rt e s t s c o r e s- a n dh i s t u t o - rials cost$375to$425anhour. Mr. Fisheris amongabout100tutors w o r k i n gf o r A d v a n t a g eT e s t i n gI n c . ,a n UpperEastSidetestpreparationfirm. He joinednineyearsago,with no for- mal teachingexperiencebut a mas- ter's degreein music from Juilliard and a Harvard physicsdegree,andis now one of the firm's most senior tu- tors. He says he consistentlyraises SAT scoresby more than 200points andachievessimilar resultsin gradu- ateschoolexams. The faculty members,as Advantage callsitstutors,havemadeaprofessionof preparing students for tests like the SAT's and SAT II Subject Tests, the GraduateRecord Exam, the Graduate ManagemenAt dmissionTestandthelaw schooland medical collegeadmissions tests. To apply for the job eachhad to meet thefirm's prerequisiteof scoring,cold,in the99thpercentileor aboveonanytest in which they intendedto tutor - for Mr. Fisher,thelawschoolandgraduateman- agementtest and the SAT.Tutors are
Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
Broadway and 73rd Street in
Adam Fisher inhis apartment office at Manhdttan.
Paying $375 to $425 , l. an nour to gatn ct systematic approach to learning. paid$165to $685for a 50-minutesession, dependingonseniority. (Lower rates are offered to needy students,and the firm doessomeprobonowork.) But while Mr. Fisher earns over $100,00a0year,heinsistsheis notin the job just for themoney.And a visit to the sparsely furnished Upper West Side
apartmentheshareswith hiswife andin- fant daughter lends credence to his claim. Sitting in his homeoffice at Broadway and73rdStreet,hisprizedcellobalanced againstthe barewall, he sayshe tutors for threereasons:becausehewantstobe able to live comfortably in the city, he wantstime to practiceandperform his music and, most important, he loves to teach."I earnenoughto raisea family in Manhattan,"hesaid."I'm a teacherwho gets paid equitably.I don't feel guilty a b o u tt h a t . " In fact, Mr. Fisher feels pretty good aboutwhathedoes.He arguesthat test- prep can be much more than rote learn- ing aimed at achieving a superficial score.To him, studyingfor a schoolen-
26
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker