What is your teaching philosophy?

My goal as a teacher is to understand my students and the difficulties they face with the material. Once I understand how the student approaches learning and what their particular challenges are, I can provide them with the tools or the point of view to overcome those challenges.

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

I discuss the student's goals and their previous challenges with the material. Once I understand where the student feels they need to improve, I will start going over the material to assess where the student is, and make a plan for accomplishing and surpassing their goals.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

I teach students to break down complicated sentences or ideas. Separating and then verbalizing each part of speech allows students to organize the thought, and then use context to understand words they may have not seen before. As with every subject, practice is a huge factor in reading, and gaining exposure to more and different types of writing is the best way to permanently improve reading comprehension.

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

I try to understand their goals or help them develop goals. I also create benchmarks so they can easily see their improvement and the value of the subjects in which they struggle.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

The best way to be sure a student understands the material is to see them teaching it themselves. In the case of tutoring, I ask students to explain thoroughly why they arrived at a particular answer or decision, and then challenge them to defend it.

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

I set small goals and benchmarks so my students can easily observe their own progress. I also maintain a positive attitude, and firmly believe that anyone can successful in any academic pursuit if they put in enough effort and time into it.