My philosophy of teaching has evolved from years of teaching experience. As I reflect on my beliefs regarding teaching and learning, I find that my mission as a teacher is threefold: to promote positive learning, to spark enthusiasm for learning, and to provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

In a typical first session I would get to know the student. It's important that my student feels comfortable with me; this will lead to more engaged tutoring sessions. I will also get an idea of the student's learning style; therefore, I can tailor my tutoring sessions to the specific needs of the student.

In order to help a student become an independent learner, I will use strategy-based teaching; therefore, they can use specific strategies we've practiced together when completing assignments and/ tests on their own.

In order to keep a student motivated, I will use positive reinforcements. In addition to this, I will focus on the Growth Mindset.

If a student is having difficulty learning a skill or a concept, I will teach a mini-lesson on the specific skill or concept to reteach and clarify any misunderstandings.

In order to help students who are struggling with reading comprehension, I will first make sure they are able to decode words and read fluently. I will also use strategy-based teaching to help students use better comprehend texts. For example, the RACE strategy is a summarizing strategy that helps promote reading comprehension.

When working with a student, positive reinforcement is a great strategy to utilize because it motivates the students and promotes a positive attitude towards learning.

In order to help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in, I would incorporate technology into the lesson by showing them a video or letting them play an interactive game based on the subject we are working on.

I like to utilize exit tickets. Exit tickets are informal assessments that occur at the end of a lesson to show me whether or not the student grasped the concept. They tell me if I need to go back and reteach the concept or if I can move forward.

In order to build a student's confidence in a subject, I utilize the Growth Mindset.

In order to evaluate a student's needs, I assess how engaged the student is during the lesson. If the student is not engaged, there is a specific reason for it. If the student is engaged, then their needs are being met.

During the first session, I assess the student's specific learning style because everyone learns differently; therefore, depending on the student's learning style, it will determine how I tutor the student in regards to the lessons, materials, assessments, etc.

I like to incorporate a mix of materials, including technology, manipulatives, drawings, paper folding, etc.