What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that, as a teacher, we are to strive to get the students working and thinking for themselves. Our job is to open them to new thoughts and creative ways of approaching problems, but ultimately to let go and let the student discover what works for them and what doesn't. We don't need to control the learning environment--we need to be open and accepting to students' ideas, and constantly improvising to help the students with what they need, not what we want them to learn.

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

I like to do a “getting to know the student” session first. I like to hear a little about them from the three "p's"--personal, professional, and private. Personal is factual details (hometown, grade, major if they are in college, etc.) while professional is current job status or future career aspiration. Private is digging deeper--what are your interests and fears? What do you really want out of life? What bugs you? This way, we really get to know each other a little more so that we are comfortable. I find the better our rapport at the start of our work together, the easier it will be to express ourselves in the session. I also like to know what you are struggling with--what are the problems you are facing with this assignment or topic so that we can focus on what you want help with, and not a general approach to anything.

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

You have to look at what you have done in order to get ideas of where you are headed. Oftentimes, students are so worried about where to go next that they forget about all they have accomplished so far. Reminding them of what they have done, where they have been, etc., is critical to keeping them invested in the work. Remembering those feelings of accomplishment will keep them moving.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I think you maintain the idea of a hands-off approach without being so distant that the student becomes frustrated or disinterested. Keep them talking throughout the session. Let the ideas come from them, and ask critical questions that keep that flow in ideas going. I would be hesitant to insert my own unless a student is really struggling. Questions, especially open-ended ones where there is no real "right" answer, are a valuable tool to keep the student's gears turning.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Students often become discouraged because they are overwhelmed. Help them break each thing into small pieces, discovering the feeling of accomplishment that they get after each task is completed. This will keep their "eyes on the prize."

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

Reading comprehension struggles often arise from not truly reading the actual passage. Many students skim, looking for keywords, and are unclear about what is really happening on the page. I often get students to slow down and really listen to the words by reading out loud. This helps prevent skimming, but also enables combined audio and visual learning for the best retention.

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

Building a solid rapport with a student so you are both comfortable being honest is key to the process. As a student, I always wanted to know what my tutor was really thinking about my work--not sugar-coated to boost my confidence. I wanted the honest answers. As a tutor, I want to know what my students really feel about the session and if what we are doing is actually helping them, or if it is just passing time for them. I want to know if we need to change up strategy, take a break, work slower, work faster, etc.

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

I would help a student discover what they like about a topic. What makes it interesting to them? How can they bring their interests to this subject? For example, if you are really into history, why can't you make your persuasive essay for English class have a historical aspect? Or if you love math, how is delivering this speech formulaic? How is it like an equation that needs solving? By blending the ideas of likes and dislikes, everything can be an exciting topic.

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

I find that if you have a student repeat material back to you in their own words, that that is a good gauge of their understanding. The key is to get them to use their own words. Repeating words from the material can be the result of great memorization. I prefer to hear how the student explains it--that way, not only can you tell if they understand it, but in the process of putting it into their own words they have had to reiterate the idea in a way that registers with them.

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

I like keeping students pumped about the work they are doing. Get them invested in the particular assignment they are struggling with, and you are on the path to confidence in the subject overall. Often the struggle is more mental than anything--students feel they will never be good at this, so why bother? Instead, I try and help them see the big picture--how can this tie into what they are interested in and what they want to get out of the subject? How can we take what they love and mix it with what they feel discouraged about? This way they can start to invest and double down in the "struggle" subjects.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Often teachers think they can diagnose a student and tell them what they need. I prefer to ask the student what they feel they are having a hard time with--what is hard for them to understand? This way, I get the student working on what they want to work on, and not necessarily what I think they "need"--that's not to say if I do notice an issue, I am going to ignore it. Absolutely not! I will definitely approach everything I see, but I like to hear what the student wants help with too.

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

I think it is important to constantly be checking in with the students themselves--they are after all the people who can best tell you what their needs are! I like to never have a strict plan for each tutoring session. Rather, I have a loose agenda of a few things I want to get done and a list of things that we can always be working on should we have more time. This way, if we end up going down a rabbit hole and spending most of our time on one thing, we don't have to rush through. I like having sessions very loosely planned so we can do different things as needed.

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

It depends on what I am tutoring! I like to have some kind of text that we are working off of (I am usually tutoring writing or reading so that makes the most sense there), but honestly any sort of raw material--a textbook, notes from class, things the student is already exposed to-- so that it isn't additional work on top of the work they already have.