What is your teaching philosophy?

One of my mentor teachers was fond of saying, "Teach the child, not the subject," meaning that the student comes first - before the curriculum, before the test scores, before the tutor. I've learned to incorporate this ideology into my own teaching practice by differentiating instruction for each of my students. I develop a rapport, meet students where they're at, and teach them the literacy and problem solving skills they need to become lifelong learners. Once a student knows how to learn, whole new worlds open for them and the actual material is a matter of course.