My goals as an educator are to build student confidence, and to help students to set and reach measurable markers of progress.

In a first session, I try to get a read on the student’s needs and personality. Together with the student, I try to see what it is that most concerns the student and family, and what goals the student and family are working toward. Then, we get right to work.

I can help a student to become an independent learner by supporting them to use the tools that they have already acquired in the classroom, and by helping them to build further skills so that they can confidently work on any task.

Helping a student to stay motivated involves encouraging them to see the "big picture" of their life, and how school and learning allow them to achieve all of the things that they want later in life. Driving student success is about showing students how to focus on their life goals by breaking education down into one small, achievable task at a time.

Find a new way to explain the skill and for the student to practice the skill. Teaching is always a matter of adaptation.

I start by finding articles or stories that I know will be engaging for the student. It is so much easier to read when the material is enjoyable, just as it is so much easier to teach when a student is not falling asleep. Then, I break the reading down into active steps that allow for the student to interact with the text as we go along. At natural breaks in the reading, I ask follow up reading comprehension questions that require skills such as remembering, understanding, and analyzing.

Working with students of any age starts with the teacher and the student developing a friendly professional relationship. Students who are comfortable with their tutors and trust them are much more likely to commit to their lessons. Then, I meet the student where they are at in their learning--praising them for what they have already accomplished, and motivating them for their next successes.