With every student, I'm most interested in finding out how they learn best. We're all different learners - some visual, some auditory, some kinesthetic - and I always enjoy helping students tap into that strength and improve their understanding of tough subjects.

In the first session, there are a handful of things I like to do. I like to get to know the student on a personal level, and also share some things about myself. I find that this breaks down some initial walls and makes students feel comfortable speaking up and asking questions, which I encourage. Then, I like to hear from the student - in their own words - how they are feeling and what they are struggling with. If possible, I like to see examples of the assignments or tests where they say they've struggled. This really helps to give me context as to what types of problems and topics in which the student needs help. From here, if there is homework or an assignment they need to do, typically I'd like to go through that with them and have them say what they're thinking as they approach problems. If I see the student is struggling with certain concepts, I will walk through it with them, and then create my own problems for them to help solidify their knowledge. Lastly, I try to get feedback from the student. Did they like walking through problems with me? Did it help to talk through the problems? Did my example problems help? Usually, even after just one session, I take away a lot of rich information about who they are, what they are struggling with, how they prefer to learn, and how we should move forward in future sessions.