What is your teaching philosophy?

To teach material as a story in order to grow upon what the student already knows. The magic of an "Ah-ha!" moment with a child is priceless in my eyes.

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

Icebreaker questions. Questions to gauge their experiences and interests in school with teachers, tests and homework, etc.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Challenges! Challenge students to do extra work for a reward, or to stump me.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Stay positive Always. Don't give up. Don't start out sessions with questions or concepts that take a long time to understand or to answer. Ease into it.

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

Find another way to explain it! Then another way! Then ask a friend how they think about it. You need to understand the learner and how they interpret material. They could be a visual learner and need drawings, as opposed to explaining via a step-by-step process.

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

Read stories that are interesting to the student. Maybe The Onion articles, or cooking articles, or sports articles that engage them, not New Yorker articles or SAT passages. Get them into stories, and read many, many stories the student likes to get plenty of practice.

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

Earn their trust, and don't make them feel inferior or incompetent, because they are not. They are worthy of the most excellent help. Let them know that asking for help is the right thing to do. Get them laughing so it doesn't feel like such a dreadful time. Let them have fun. Smile and laugh.

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

Baby steps. Build on the knowledge they already have and let them figure out just how much they really do know, which will often surprise a student. Then, go from there.

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

Fill in the blank questions and questions with open-ended answers are always winners.

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

Help them to see just how much they really do know. Let them surprise themselves with their knowledge.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Getting to know the student's studying habits and test taking skills. Also, gauging their interest (or lack thereof) in the subject can be crucial for helping them succeed.