My philosophy is that every child has the right to learn. Every child is an individual, and their needs should be met. My classroom is a safe and nurturing environment. I am aware of my students' social and emotional development, and I am in contact with my students' parents. I provide a motivational framework for each learning opportunity. Individualized instruction is an important aspect of my daily routine. I incorporate guided practice and cooperative learning strategies to meet all of my students at different abilities. I use my students' answers and abilities as a means of assessment. I use my assessments to modify my lessons.

I would help the student become an independent learner by first going over the problem with them. Then, having them go over the steps with me. Finally, having the student do the problem by themselves and explaining it to me.

I would tell them that everyone struggles at something. I would also try to show the student how the lesson pertains to their life. Math is needed in everyday life - cooking, keeping score, etc. Students that are interested in what they are learning are better learners.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, I break the concept down into small steps. Starting with what the student is confident in and working towards our goal of learning the new concept. Everything new is based on prior knowledge.

I help students who are struggling with reading comprehension by having the student read short passages, and then re-telling that passage in their own words. I also have the student discuss what is going on in the passage and who are the characters in the passage.

I have found that getting to know a little bit about the student is very helpful. If they like to participate in sports, I can use that to make the lesson relevant.

Students get discouraged when they struggle in a subject. I like to take the frustration out of the lesson by showing them that nothing is too difficult to try. Success always makes a student feel better about themselves. Once a student is successful, even if it's one problem, I tell them that they should be proud of themselves because they didn't give up!

I would ask the student specific content questions. I like to use the question "why?"

I would ask the student specific content questions. I would also ask the student "why?" and "how?" These lead to higher level thinking.

I evaluate a student's needs by watching them work, assessing their work, and asking them what they feel they need to work on to be successful in that content area.

Every child is different. I adapt my teaching strategies according to the child's needs. If a child needs a lot of encouragement to proceed through a problem, then I give it. If a child would rather explain something, I let them.

When I tutor I use a whiteboard and dry erase markers. This cuts down on the frustration level for the student...no need to erase. I use index cards for vocabulary or math equations. I keep a notebook on each child so that I know what their strengths and weaknesses are.

I would introduce myself and ask the student about their day. I would also ask the student to show me a sample of their work, but I would not correct it. If the student started to struggle, I would have them stop, and then the student and I would work through the problem.