What is your teaching philosophy?

If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. I see my role as helping students find their best learning methods.

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

Ask questions about their learning style and go over materials from their class. I like to use my own sources if they have trouble with the class materials.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

My approach is to teach the student my methods for learning and retaining material, as well as the facts and formulas.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Provide examples from the real world that they are familiar with. Such as using the example of a pot-luck dinner to explain VSEPR theory and the sharing of electrons in a metal or ionic solid.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

I constantly hear "I've never seen someone so excited about chemistry." I hope that is infectious. I try to bring in medical or other real-life examples as much as possible.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Point it out when the student is correct, and ask them to acknowledge it as well.