What is your teaching philosophy?

Start with the fundamental building blocks, then increase with more information at each student's individual speed. Even subjects like Calculus can begin with, "Do you remember in Algebra 1, when you did this? We're kind of doing that again here, but we've added in ___." In building on information they already know, it makes the concepts seem easier, and it makes them more comfortable in moving forward. The concept is no longer foreign and difficult, but rather just an extension of what each student already knows.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

First, I would ask the student what he or she does well in the subject and what he/she enjoys about it. Then, I will watch the student answer a series of problems/questions in that subject matter, watching how they perceive the problem given, how they respond to it, and how they then work out the answer both in their head and on paper. I will use what I see as the students' strong points as foundations to build up and learn more.