What is your teaching philosophy?

My goal is to create an environment in which I learn as much from my students as my students learn from me.

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

Assess a student's level of knowledge and create a study plan.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Build study skills that can be used in any learning context -- from classrooms to Netflix documentaries.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Cautious encouragement.

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

Break it down into steps and encourage practice.

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

I assign reading material from a variety of disciplines and work with them through increasing levels of difficulty. When we arrive at a place where the student feels comfortable, we push past it.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

Relating the material to concepts the student already knows, breaking everything into steps, and assigning pneumonic devices. If all else fails, it helps to laugh at the material every once in a while.

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

Every subject -- even the most mundane -- is exciting when it's made relevant. I keep students engaged by keeping the material current and salient.