What is your teaching philosophy?

Most of my students learn best when they're having a good time. As a result, I believe it's really important to make learning an upbeat, interesting activity. I do this by establishing a strong rapport, tailoring tutoring sessions to the individual interests of my clients, and giving them real-life examples that apply each lesson to things they already know and enjoy. As a result, my students learn more enthusiastically and their lessons stick with them - popping back into their mind when those everyday examples actually occur in everyday life.

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

I often like to spend some time talking - both about what the student personally hopes to get help with, and just about their personal interests. (I often use these hobbies/interests to help develop lesson plans that are "more than just math/reading/etc.") Generally, I will also do a quick survey of the subject(s) to get a baseline for what the student already knows well and what they need additional focus on so that future tutoring sessions can be streamlined to fit that student's personal needs.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

When first introducing a new topic, it is important to walk the student through the process. However, I quickly use conversation to transition to the student walking me through the steps of the problem and, once I know they have the method down, then it's just a matter of building self-confidence in their own abilities!