Berkeley Community Tutor
Community SubscriberFor over 20 years, Kevin Arnold has provided customized and effective tutoring sessions throughout Berkeley, the Bay Area, and beyond – helping students realize their academic goals and life dreams. Kevin has tutored hundreds of students and uses his in-depth experience to help them naturally discover joy and success throughout their high school, college, and even professional careers.
Currently, I'm accepting new students who are seeking to improve their executive function skills, learn to craft truly effective essays for specific classes or college applications, and want to learn how to self-direct their own educational pathways. I approach my students in a good-humored, calm, and knowledgeable manner, inspiring them to feel relaxed and engaged.
My daughter has been working with Kevin since the 10th grade. Her frosh year was fine, but really stressful for her (and, thus, for the family). She always got her work done and enjoyed school, but there was a lot of stress around homework and studying for exams. She didn't like reminders from family members and refused to use a calendar. She did NOT want an academic coach, but I knew our family did NOT want to repeat the stress of frosh year. Kevin's laid back style was a perfect match for her! They schedule their own meetings and meet once every 1-2 weeks. They schedule out her week, talk about breaking out large assignments into smaller steps and even worked on her college essay together this summer (she's a rising senior). I've never once heard her stress or not want to meet up with Kevin -- it's always been a value-add to her week! They meet via phone or zoom depending on their schedules. I can imagine her continuing to meet up with him when during her frosh year of college as well. There's no stigma around it and, I cannot emphasize enough, no stress around meeting with him. Once evening, she came into the kitchen dancing around while she got a snack. I asked her what she was doing and she said that Kevin had her trying a new study method that had her taking dance and snack breaks:-)! She loved it. Cannot recommend him highly enough!
My 13 year old son started meeting with Kevin Arnold at the end of 7th grade. We needed a tutor to help with his organization skills, focus, and motivation to complete his homework assignments. After talking with Kevin over the phone about our concerns, we set our goal on improving his essay writing skills. And after working with Kevin for the last 10 months, my son has improved his ability to reflect, write, edit and complete his assignments. Although reluctant to work with a tutor at first, our son connected with Kevin right away. He enjoys his tutoring sessions! Kevin is calm, patient, encouraging & "cool". They started by discussing and writing about topics that my son enjoys - like music, sports, Star Wars. Kevin was able to build rapport, connection, and trust. Kevin also has helped with preparing for the upcoming HBST exam.
I highly recommend Kevin as a tutor and academic coach. We are thankful for Kevin's support, and happy to see our son improve his writing skills and complete his homework assignments - which has improved his grades and confidence in his academic abilities.
Kevin Arnold is more than just a great tutor. He is truly a master of his work, seeking to cultivate genuine academic curiosity within his students as well as high academic performance. Last year I had the pleasure of working with him on a number of my college applications and I could not be more proud of the results. Throughout the process, Kevin not only provided valuable feedback – he was truly passionate about my growth and development as a thinker and writer. Not once did he tell me, “This idea isn’t good” or “We need to go in another direction.” Rather, he created a space in which I was able to put forth ideas, then provided me with the tools to explore and develop them. In addition, Kevin has a keen ability to connect with his students, further fostering this environment of curiosity and exploration. The first time we met, we quickly bonded over our love of Fugazi and African Disco. In our following sessions, we would end by providing song recommendations to each other. Kevin’s ability to put himself on the same level as his students, cultivating trust and respect, was not only integral in my ability to produce strong writing, but strengthened my confidence in my own academic abilities – a truly invaluable lesson to walk away with.
Our high school senior started meeting with Kevin in his junior year because we wanted him to get help with time management and procrastination. For the next fourteen months Kevin also helped our student with the English part of the ACT review and essays for college and summer camp applications. We were looking for someone our student could meet in person but a lot of coaches/tutors were remote due to COVID. We decided to give Kevin a try even though the meetings would be remote as he advised us that teenagers tend to feel more comfortable when someone is not watching them. Kevin earned our student's trust and they had a good relationship. Our student appreciates all the help and advice he received from Kevin. He met with us over the phone at least every three months and answered our questions. Our student finished his junior year strong and continues to be on top of his homework. We're happy to see he is getting his homework done on time, had a much improved score in the ACT English section, and has been accepted to several of the colleges he applied to.
We feel so fortunate to have discovered Kevin and to have been in a position to hire him to work with our son for the past few years. He was a perfect match for our bright, curious, humorous and (at that time) quite scattered junior who needed support around organization and planning. Kevin connected effortlessly with our son on a personal level and, with patience, humor, and steadiness guided our boy in how to manage his workload efficiently while juggling a number of extracurricular commitments and interests. Kevin always took a strength based approach when it came to tutoring and as a result our son gained insight and confidence as well as study skills along the way. As a senior who will now be heading off in the fall to a top tier university, our son feels quite prepared to handle the complexities, rigor, and demands of this next stage of his academic journey. We are very grateful for all Kevin's support and highly recommend him as an academic coach and teacher.
Kevin is my hero for being able to inspire teen boys in Berkeley/Oakland area to learn to enjoy to express themselves through writing and to help them with organizational skills. My son has ADHD and was not into writing when he started working with Kevin Arnold at age 13. Even after the first meeting with Kevin my son was inspired, charmed and excited to meet him at cafes on College Avenue to work on writing projects. Kevin inspired my son to enjoy building a position on topics my son was passionate about such as urban climbing. Kevin also helped my son in a personal essay for a music grant/scholarship my son received and with his written application to OSA where my son was accepted.
I highly recommend Kevin Arnold, the lead tutor of Berkeley Community Tutor, for his professional and effective work with teens -- especially for high school prep, executive functioning coaching, and persuasive writing lessons. Kevin has a wealth of experience as a Berkeley High School teacher, as well as the fact that he's effective and engaging and also fun for my son who is quite particular about who he opens up to. Finding an enjoyable and light-hearted, yet truly professional tutor is not easy. 510-495-7923 http://Berkeleycommunitytutor.com
More than two years ago, I had the good fortune of enlisting the services of Kevin Arnold, an academic coach and writing tutor based in the Oakland/Berkeley area. My then-7th grader refused to write despite having a pretty good teacher and the ability. Of course, he resisted help from his parents. "Teach him to write a coherent paragraph. That's all I want," I told Kevin. And so Kevin did by engaging my son on a range of topics - music, graffiti, gun control, race. They met at cafes on College Ave. and my son, who has utter disdain for most teachers, told me at one point, "I just couldn't hate him. I wanted to. He's too nice." Now, my son is in the 9th grade and I don't worry as much about him writing a decent paragraph but worry more about his school work organization skills and ability to self-advocate and take responsibility. Kevin, miraculously, addresses these issues as well by doing a great deal of listening and offering gentle encouragement and advice. Once high school pressures really kick in, we know Kevin will be there to help academically. There have been days when in the midst of some parenting angst over our son, Kevin's email summary about their interactions seemed like a bolt from the future - a positive vision of where our teen might be heading that we ourselves can't see because we are in the muck of it all. Generous, smart, attuned, flexible, intellectual. Kevin is more than a cheerleader, but a true teen whisperer, I cannot recommend him enough. Cell: 510-495-7923Kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (Kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com) Berkeleycommunitytutor.com
We tried several tutors for our 10th grader son before finding Kevin, and we've stuck with him since! He's got a unique ability to connect socially and put people at ease and find the interesting side to practically any subject. Our kid is engaged and interested with Kevin -- to the point where sometimes it can seem like they're just hanging out or goofing around but work is actually getting done, learning is happening, progress is being made. He's got the right combination of patience, humor, and discipline to get through to just about anyone, I'd think, find some common ground, and get through the material without it feeling like a chore. Our son's often told us the hour went by too fast.. while working on the homework that used to be "boring"! If you know your kid's probably smarter than he lets on (and let's face it, that's pretty much everyone) and think he or she could just use a little extra push to achieve their potential then I recommend getting some tutor time with Kevin Arnold.
Two of my kids have worked with Kevin Arnold, a tutor in Berkeley who specializes in organizational skills. His info on BPN is here: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/org/kevin-arnold Kevin helped my kids stay organized in middle school and high school and was especially helpful teaching my younger son, who has ADD, how to get an essay or long-term project started and then completed. My son has continued to use the skills he learned from Kevin for writing assignments even after tutoring ended. Kevin is an easy-going, affable guy that my kids really clicked with and enjoyed going to see. He meets his students at local cafes for one-on-one.
I would recommend Kevin Arnold http://www.berkeleycommunitytutor.com/about.html - he is patient, inspiring and very enjoyable to work with. Give him a call. J
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2016
RE: College Admissions Essays Help
a BHS Mom
Oct 2015
RE: Study Skill and Organization tutor for HS Junior
Not sure if he will come to Lafayette, but my high school son is working with Kevin Arnold http://berkeleycommunitytutor.com/ for study skills and organization. They meet once a week at a cafe. Kevin goes over his assignments for the week, they review his planner and all this classes on powerschool. Kevin helps him make a plan for what to work on in the coming week. He has my son send him a photo every day of his planner showing assignments written down. My son comes home from school talking about upcoming assignments and what he needs to do today. He didn't do this before. Kevin is very personable and relates well to teenagers. My son's friend is working with him too, and both boys like him. mom of BHS freshman
Aug 2015
If you are in need of a great tutor, someone who is inspiring, very patient, fun and engaging with youth, I highly reoommend Kevin. He helped my son rediscovering the joy of reading and writing, made big home work projects much more managable and formed a wonderful mentor relationship with him. His website : www.Berkeleycommunitytutor.com, phone: 510.495 7923; and his email is kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com - don't hesitate contacting him ( or me if you need to know more). juliane.k
Nov 2014
We are looking for a good all around high school tutor in Oakland or Berkeley that is great at relating to high school teens who are not that motivated. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. concerned mom
been there mom
Oct 2014
RE: Writing tutor for high school sophomore
I would like to recommend out fantastic tutor Kevin Arnold who helped our son ( 14 years old ) last year to navigate the world of essay writing. He is kind, patient, very engaging,creative and constantly went out of his way to understand how differently our son was learning. Our son went from hating reading & writing to a much more engaged and skilled writer. Kevin is flexible and comes to the house. His email is: kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com) Thanks! juliane
Great Tutor and Academic Coach!
March 2014
I want to write a tutor recommendation for Kevin Arnold because it is rare to find a compassionate tutor and academic coach as good as he is. I don't want anyone to miss out on a chance to use his talents. We started using Kevin for our 9th grade son at Berkeley High School who was struggling with his writing, homework and organization skills. Kevin continued to tutor my son through his senior year at BHS, helping him complete his homework in English and History, working on long research papers, creative writing assignments, and eventually even his college essays and applications.
Kevin was very helpful and connected well with my son on a personal and artistic level. He seemed to always find a good way they could work together to tackle difficult assignments, and eventually expected more and more from him academically. Kevin was also flexible and would directly schedule times with my son to come back to complete important assignments. I highly recommend Kevin as a tutor and academic coach. Don't hesitate because he is a good find! Kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (Kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com) -- 510-495-7923 -- Berkeleycommunitytutor.com Tracy C
Feb 2014
I can highly recommend Kevin Arnold as a tutor! My daughter had trouble in the transition from middle school to high school, primarily in English and History, both fields which require fluid writing. Kevin took a girl with little assurance in her own abilities and taught her the necessary grammar, organization, and construction to write an effective paragraph. He also keeps it fun, and she genuinely enjoys her time with him. I originally found him on this site and called him because the other reviews were so good. You can check out his website and find his contact info athttp://www.berkeleycommunitytutor.com/ Pleased Mother
Feb 2014
I would like to highly recommend Kevin Arnold as a tutor for teens. Kevin worked with my son for a few years and was extremely knowledgeable at teaching academic content along with critical thinking skills. In particular, he helped my son to develop a positive self image as a learner and gave him an appreciation for understanding deep concepts and for acquiring knowledge. Kevin is also very gifted in working with teens and has a way of being friendly and relatable while still holding high standards. Kids respect him and are inspired by him to do well. Kevin is the one to call! Here is his contact info: Kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (Kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com) 510-495-7923 http://berkeleycommunitytutor.com/ Amy T
Sept 2013
Kevin Arnold is a tutor who has worked very well with my son who is 15 years old and attends the IB program at Berkeley High. Like many boys he was a reluctant writer who would either procrastinate and/or write something quickly with his eyes half closed and then be unwilling to edit. With Kevin's help he learned about fun ways to brainstorm, break down the process and use key concepts (borrowed from basketball, which helped!). Now my son is eager to write and is proud of his product at the end. Kevin and he met at a cafe which was ''cool''. If you have a teenager who needs tutoring, look up: http://berkeleycommunitytutor.com Carina
Jan 2013
I would like to recommend Kevin Arnold as an excellent tutor. He has a way of communicating with teens that gets them engaged and motivated to learn. He worked with my son for a few years in high school and got this teen to begin to care about history and the world around him. He was also very good at teaching writing and my son tells me now that he wants to be a writer. It was Kevin more than his school classes that inspired him to think critically. Kevin came to our house to tutor (a big plus) and was flexible and friendly to work with. His phone number is (510) 495-7923 and his email address is: kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com). Amy
July 2011
Re: Tutor/homework helper needed ASAP
I didn't read the original post but wanted to jump in with a recommendation of Kevin Arnold, the tutor who has worked with my son throughout his high school years. Originally I wanted someone who would be a sort of homework helper or coach so my son would stay on task with his assignments. Kevin has proven to be so much more. Although his manner is very personable and casual, he is strongly grounded in academics. He has been able to help my son learn to articulate complex ideas for essays in both history and English. Kevin never makes my son feel rushed, but they do cover a lot of ground during each session. In my son's words, Kevin is the perfect balance of enthusiasm and focus. Kevin can be reached at 510 495-7923 Debbie
May 2011
I highly recommend the tutor my sons have worked with over the past 3+ years. His name is Kevin Arnold (email:kevinarnold333 [at] gmail.com (kevinarnold333[at]gmail[dot]com)). He came highly recommended by other BPN members, and we initially spoke at great lengths after my son was evaluated to rule out ADHD. (While meds were an option, his pediatrician recommended an organizational tutor as a start). Kevin was GREAT! He is warm and friendly, and my son related to him immediately. Kevin began working with him at the beginning of his 7th grade year after switching to a large public middle school. Under his 'care', my son gained confidence as a student, developed excellent writing skills, and was able to prioritize his homework load- something he had much difficulty accomplishing. He was no longer overwhelmed and frustrated by the work, even as more was demanded of him in middle school.
My sons see Kevin as 'hip and cool', and relate very well to him. He is an accomplished musician, and he even worked with them on guitar and drum lessons. He recently began working with my other son, as well, on his high school history research paper, and has helped him learn how to be a better writer.
I cannot say enough about his skills as a tutor, not to mention, mentor. Kevin is also very patient, and has a knack for fostering independence, and critical thinking skills. I am impressed by how my son has grown as a student: once frustrated and overwhelmed by the challenge, he is now able to master the demands of high school with more ease. I attribute this to his work with Kevin over the years. I am relieved that I didn't need to rely on medication, but instead finding him a tutor who had the patience and expertise to work with him.
Kevin is also very flexible with his schedule, something I very much appreciated, given our hectic schedules. DM
Feb 27, 2009
I have a great tutor!
I continue to have conversations with other parents about tutors. There are many reasons to have a tutor for a child, particularly a teenager. Not all kids are great in every subject and simply need tutoring. Other kids at this age have trouble focusing and need guidance and homework assistance to stay on track. It's also wonderful to turn over the parent/child/homework relationship to a tutor. Or perhaps a child actually has learning disabilities and needs extra help.
I have searched for tutors and had many. Now as my kids are getting older I want to recommend and pass on a great tutor named Kevin Arnold. He has been able to bring out the best in my kids. Teaching them, supporting them, understanding the right moments to push and expect more from them (also when to let up). Kevin is fun. He relates well to my kids. He has figured out how each of my kids works best and gets the most out of them. Kevin is an excellent tutor for English, History and independent writing projects. He is a great homework coach. He will give your child study skills and help them organize their writing. He increases his expectations at appropriate times. Kevin has been a teacher at both public and private Schools so he knows the curriculum and understands the demands. He also worked for BHIndependent Study Program. He is currently working as a private tutor and as a teacher at The School for independent Learners. Grab Kevin while you can. He has put a smile on my face but more importantly my kids love him, they are doing great in school and feel proud! Kevin's cell: 510.495.7923 email:kevinarnold2004 [at] yahoo.com (kevinarnold2004[at]yahoo[dot]com)
tracy
May 2008
RE: all-around tutor for our son
Definitely contact Kevin Arnold kevinarnold2004 at yahoo.com - he's been really good with our teenage son. He's reliable, compassionate, and a great teacher - I'd recommend him without reservation. wendy
Feb 2007
RE: 16-y-o son is almost completely unmotivated to do any work in school
My 16 year old son was also unmotivated in school--bright kid but not trying, happy to get C's and an occasional B and hang out with friends and play video games. I've had excellent results with him working with Kevin Arnold, a tutor who has helped him organize his time better and helped him in Spanish and a few other subjects. (Kevinarnold2004[at]yahoo.com) They meet at a cafe which makes my son feel more grown-up. A former teacher, Kevin has a low-key, friendly, supportive manner. My son and I now argue a lot less about school work and his grades have definitely improved. Happier Mom
We completely agree with the posting about tutoring from Kevin Arnold. Our 13-year-old suddenly developed test anxiety and his grades dropped. He seemed totally unmotivated and exhibited the same apathy and seemed only to be interested in video games, etc. We hired Kevin for weekly sessions, and we're very happy with the results. If you can afford a private tutor, Kevin is great and seems to win the trust and confidence of his students. Best wishes to you - hope this situation doesn't turn out to include drugs -- Wendy, Oakland
Dec 2005
Kevin Arnold is a tutor who has been very helpful in helping my 15 yr old son with organizational skillls and with overcoming difficulty with writing. He can be reached at by phone at 655-6612 or email at kevinarnold2004 AT yahoo.com. Mindy
Nov 27 2005
Kevin Arnold has been tutoring our 13-year old 8th grade son for the past several months and we are pleased with the results. They meet once a week for an hour and a half and spend time reviewing homework as well as working on writing and organization skills. Kevin, who is on the quiet side and low-key seems to connect well with our son, who finds the tutoring sessions helpful (and I'm surmising that he even enjoys them since he's never once complained). Kevin has been accomodating when we've had to change our regularly scheduled meeting time due to conflicts with sports activities.
Kevin's can be reached at 510-655-6612 or kevinarnold2004 [at] yahoo.com (kevinarnold2004[at]yahoo[dot]com). Irma
Sept 2005
My son had a great experience with writing tutor Kevin Arnold. We learned of him through Parents of Teens site. Kevin is young, a former Berkeley High Independent Studies teacher, is skilled and knowledgeable, and tutors with an easy-going style. He connected well with my son who gained much from Kevin's help in just a few months, his already accomplished writing improving in both organization and mechanics. Kevin tutors as a writing tutor, a homework coach, college paper research advisor, and college app essays coach. ''Kevin Arnold'' kevinarnold2004 AT yahoo.com 510.655.6612
Miles
June 22, 2005
Our 16 year old son, who has consistently had problems organizing and turning in his homework, has been seeing Kevin Arnold for homework tutoring for the past few months. Sam likes him and they've worked well together. Kevin is a gentle and compassionate guy, and although his approach to the work at hand seemed at times a bit dreamy, we did see results--more work turned in on time, and better grades as a result. Sam was always happy to go to the tutor, too! They met at the Royal Ground cafe on College. Reach Kevin at 510.655.6612 or kevinarnold2004 at yahoo.com Suzanne
June 2005
I want to enthusiastically recommend Kevin Arnold as both a tutor and mentor. Kevin has been meeting with my 15-year old son once a week this spring and summer. He has provided my son with both academic support as well as a wonderful friendship. They have talked widely and with enthusiasm about the world, school and many other subjects, motivating my son to engage in a diverse spread of ideas and possibilities. Kevin gets my son to think about things he never thought could be interesting. This summer they have gone tide-pooling and played Nirvana on their guitars. If you'd like to contact me, I'd be happy to speak with you. p.s. Kevin also helped my son with his Spanish homework.
cbrownstein
Dec 2004
I'd like to recommend Kevin Arnold as a coach or tutor for unmotivated, bright high school boys. He was my son's teacher at BHS Independent Studies two years ago, and I also hired him as a coach/tutor. He is now a full-time private tutor. Kevin's strength is his enthusaism for learning and knowledge. Because he is young and connected to youth culture, Kevin has the ability to get an apathetic, do-the-minimum kid fired up about reading and learning by exploring topics that are interesting, such as politics, culture, and music. I was very pleased that while working with Kevin, my son began to develop an interest in philosophy and psychology, began reading more and playing computer games less, and for the first time began to see himself as a curious learner instead of as an academic failure. My son did not magically become a high achieving UC applicant (!) but he absolutely did discover the joy of learning while working with Kevin, which continues to serve him well two years later. Kevin was also very helpful in just monitoring homework and assignments to get things turned in on time. Kevin Arnold kevinarnold2004 AT yahoo.com 510-655-6612
Ginger
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