Episode 315 | Emily Axelrod | English Tutor | The EdisonOS Podcast

In this episode, Emily Axelrod, an English tutor with over a decade teaching teens for standardized tests, reveals how the digital SAT has become more challenging despite shorter passages because students have less material to grasp and form answers. Drawing from her experience working with neurotypical students and those with attention deficit disorder and on the spectrum, Emily explains her rapport-first approach that establishes compatibility and identifies special needs including undiagnosed ones before administering diagnostic tests.

She discusses her pattern-focused strategy analyzing where students make errors, whether at the beginning when not paying attention or toward the end when running out of time, and emphasizes both academic skills and test-taking skills must be learned despite College Board not wanting students to think that way. Emily shares her cautious AI perspective, revealing one useful application where a student used AI to decode why he got something wrong better than College Board's explanation, while strongly discouraging AI-generated practice questions in favor of official Blue Book materials. She explains her pricing philosophy that experienced tutors charging $50 to $100-plus per hour may require fewer sessions than cheaper alternatives, and encourages families to get creative with small group discounts and sliding scales so financial burden doesn't block access to quality tutoring.