Rapport building is important to me. I want the student to feel cared for and safe in this space, considering we never fully know what their life, school, or world pressure they're under is going to be in their daily lives, their tutoring sessions with me can be a time for fun and learning. There is no need for this to be something they dread, but instead, something they look forward to. My spaces are relaxed, safe, and still offering the most amount of learning I can give the students. I don't want any student in the group to feel left out or behind. I play to the strengths they show and give those the chance to shine. I use positive error correction and don't focus on mistakes for too long per session, because we can always revisit it as lessons go on. Learning should not be scary. Students should feel free to ask questions and be wrong, or right, or close. Fear of being wrong keeps a student from realizing how close they are to "getting it". Teaching is collaboration. Rewarding and positive correction are the best ways to encourage students to keep trying even after a mistake is made. I also think that due to the nature of learning over time, focusing too long on one mistake, especially in grammar at least, is not as conducive as saying, good practice, we will keep working on this, and going to the next point. In lots of events, the thing that confuses them may become clearer through more examples of it, or from a different concept allowing the difficult to manage concept to "click". Focusing on one issue a student isn't grasping causes more harm than good when it causes the child to become so frustrated that they simply shut down and stop trying to learn at all. Assessing learning styles after repeated issues with problems is necessary. If a student needs to sing, they can sing their reading assignment to hear the errors. They can tap their body as they learn the stronger math concepts. They can hear the directions read, they can read in silence and be asked comprehension questions. There is no need to stick to a formula that matches every student as there is no such thing.

I enjoy multiple creative pursuits, philosophy, reading as much as I can, video games, and horror. I have 4 cats and a rat. I have a collection of squishable stuffed animals. I love all varieties of music, and I'm always looking for more. Nothing makes a summer night better than a nice fire and talking with friends.