What is your teaching philosophy?

You can always do one more -- one more problem set, one more question. Never be afraid to challenge your limits, because you're able to accomplish so much more than you know.

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

A typical first session includes an analysis of the student's strengths and weaknesses, and devising short-term and long-term goals for improvement.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Independent learning comes from identifying what motivates a student, and I'd work closely with each and every one of my student's to find what sparks that intellectual fire.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Setting goals that are able to be accomplished gives students a great sense of pride! It's wonderful to feel proud of yourself; it inspires you to work even harder.

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

Practice, practice, practice! Familiarity is one of the most useful tools one can have in his belt when studying for a subject or a test.

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

Asking questions to yourself at the end of each section or paragraph like "What was the main point of the part I just read?" or "How does what I just read relate to the rest of the passage?" can help keep a struggling student in check with reading comprehension.

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

Making a goal sheet and a timeline for each individual goal and sticking with deadlines has proven time and time again to be a great motivator for students.

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

The attitude of the instructor can be so influential to a student's love towards a subject. Enthusiasm and intellectual passion are contagious!

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

I'd use small "check-in's" with comprehension questions to review material with a student.

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

Setting small goals that the student has the ability to accomplish will motivate him/her to reach higher! It's all about the little steps, even in the classroom.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I'd start off by analyzing a student's strengths or weaknesses in the subject we're working on through a couple of questions testing various components, and then designing an action plan for studying based off of that.

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

All tutoring should reflect the wants, needs, and motivations of the student. The goal of every tutoring session should be to bolster strengths and minimize weaknesses as much as possible.

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

I'd use selections from test prep books for SAT courses, and maybe examples of essays from other students for writing/English courses.