I know it might seem kind of cheesy, but my first day would include a few different things to get to know one another. I'd do this to get a better idea of the student's goals, their method of learning, and how they envisioned our sessions to go.

I feel like the ultimate goal is for the student to become an independent learner. Learning can be hard when it's not suited towards your needs or when it's not catered towards you. I would teach my students steps they can take when they come across something they find difficult, and I'd use different resources they can use to get some answers.

One thing I enjoy doing for my students is tying lessons back to their interests. For example, if a student loves basketball, I would try to tie basketball into the lesson to hold their interest. I've found this to help keep students motivated. My corny jokes seem to work great with a lot of my students also!

Firstly, I aim to be really patient and understanding with everybody. There will always be a time that a student doesn't understand something. To me, that just means that I need to figure out the puzzle and find a way to make it work for that student. This means that I use different tools, or word things differently and create a different plan of attack.

The only way to work on comprehension is through reading. I have different reading tools such as story map charts, cause and effect puzzle pieces, and steps for making predictions. I would use these, along with different questions throughout a story, to help the student take meaning from the text. After having practiced together several times and the student begins to master the task, I would then begin to release the strategies and responsibilities to the student.

The most important factor to me is building a relationship with the student. Without trust and personal interest, little learning will actually happen. So first, build a relationship. Then, learn and see the student soar.

It's hard to be excited about something that's hard. One thing that I would use, when appropriate, is a self-monitoring chart. The student fills out the chart by themselves and can see visual proof of how much they're improving. For other students, where coloring in a chart may not be as appropriate, I would still focus largely on the success that is being made rather than what still needs to happen. Constantly seeing their growth will then cause the student to gain motivation as well as self-confidence.

Ask purposeful questions. I look to have as many "aha!" moments as possible by wording questions in a way that allows the student to make the connections rather than me answering all of their questions. At the end of each session, I'd also have a purposeful "exit ticket" where the student will be able to answer a question from the lesson and/or ask me a question and go over what the next lesson will include.

Allow the student to view their own success. This often allows them to build confidence in themselves. I would do this by verbally praising their process and all of their attempts, focusing more on what the student has accomplished rather than what still needs to be accomplished, and always celebrating with the student when they complete something that they've been struggling with.

As an (almost) special education teacher, I focus on adapting my lessons to meet the student's needs. This includes teaching in their method of learning, including their interests, and always keeping their age in mind to ensure that I'm tutoring the student in a way that's appropriate for their age.