What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe all students can be successful in school but that everyone learns differently. My job is to help students find the learning styles that best suit them and develop the motivation and organization to set and achieve goals.

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

When I first meet a student, I like to ask them what they enjoy in school. By understanding their strengths, we can build on them and begin to tackle some of the things they are challenged by.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

For me, positivity has always been the best way to motivate students. By looking at past successes and asking the student what worked the best for them, we can apply those strategies to future challenges. I always try to bring it back to past achievements if the student is feeling low about their current work.

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

I take note of how the student has learned other concepts--did a visual cue help? Did talking it over, repetition, creating a game, or writing it help? We'll replicate those cues as I try to break down the concept into its parts and use comparisons to help bridge those gaps.

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

Reading is such an important and powerful skill to have. When possible, I have the student read their favorite books outside of our time and tell me about what's happened when we meet again. I have a huge repertoire of books for all reading levels that I can recommend, and starting with a book that the student loves helps them branch out into other reading matter.

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

I always try to get to know the student as best as I can--what do they like about school? What are some things that their teachers have done that they enjoyed or appreciated? Who are some of their personal heroes? I establish common ground with the student to help them feel comfortable and supported before we move forward.

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

Using my knowledge of the student's own interests and personality, I help them find a piece of the subject or a method of problem solving that really excites them. It can be hard to engage yourself in a subject that you feel is not applicable to your own life--by finding those commonalities and setting goals, the student can overcome those challenges.

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

A learning style that has always been effective for me has been discussion-style debriefs and comprehension checks. After we move through a unit or a problem, I talk about it with the students--what were the major themes? What is one thing you admire about the person we learned about? If you were in their position, what would you do differently? What are the functions of the different cell parts? What is your evidence? By asking some of these questions, I can get a better sense of the student's perspective on the material and use that to build onto more subjects.