My teaching philosophy is best characterized as 'hands-on.' My goal is to enable the student to become confident with the material through practice and self-reinforcement. I serve to assist where needed using substantive knowledge and to motivate through patience and understanding.

The typical first session focuses on getting to know the student as a person first and student second. Fostering trust and understanding enables a better tutor-student relationship of mutual respect. Substantively, I do want to understand what the student's goals are and where he/she currently is with the material. In so doing, we can form a plan together to achieve those very goals.

By figuring out a student's goals and passions, we can together shape the tutoring experience as a means to achieve those ends. When a student is excited to accomplish a dream they have, they are more likely to independently improve themselves in furtherance of that dream.

Motivation is not simply created using either a carrot or a stick. Instead, there usually is some underlying circumstance/emotion that must be addressed. Getting to know the student as a person so that I can help them work through whatever these concerns may be will help us keep our focus and stay motivated on the task at hand.

Reading comprehension centers around the student's ability to filter necessary and unnecessary information. Unfortunately, admissions tests and English courses tend to 'hide the ball' when asking questions related to reading comprehension. Thus, to improve a student's reading comprehension skills, emphasis would be placed on enhancing a student's focus and helping the student develop the experience necessary to filter out what is important and what isn't.