What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to show you the best way to do something, do it together, and then challenge you to do it on your own. We'll even enjoy doing it, I promise!

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

First, we'll get to know each other and the material we need to cover. Next, we'll set up a Success Plan with your goals and get to work!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

My philosophy gradually releases students to be able to repeat their successes without a tutor. Showing you the best way, then doing it together, then making sure you can do it on your own, ensures that pretty soon you won't need a tutor!

How would you help a student stay motivated?

My key is keeping upbeat and energetic, and not letting schoolwork become a slog. It can be fun!

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

I would dive into my years of experience and literature, and find the best way to attack that concept. I promise to never give up.

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

We will develop habits that help students retain knowledge, by annotating the text correctly and understanding the text structure.

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

The best strategy is to develop trust and a relationship. We don't need to be best friends, but we both need to trust that we are trying our hardest!

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

The best way to help a student engage is to show and explain why I am so engaged! Literature, history, and writing can be awesome, and I'll show you why!

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

The best technique is to do a skill check-in/assessment at the end of a session. This way, we know exactly where we are at and what we need to do in the future!

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

Confidence comes from being able to accomplish goals, so we will set goals that we can achieve and show that we're moving forward!

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate student needs by doing short assessments and checking which skills or content is missing.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

I have learned over my 11 years that there is no one type of student! I evaluate each student as I work with them, and figure out what is the best way forward.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

This will vary, but I like to use short assessments, graphic organizers, texts, videos... whatever is needed to get the job done!