What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to bring to the surface the intrinsic motivation of every student by inspiring them to see all of the wonderful possibilities that come along with earning a solid education. I believe that a teacher should be a motivator, cheerleader, guidance counselor, and friendly spirit in order to educate the person as a whole, and not just to evoke mental growth. I believe that teaching is my destiny, not my job. As such, I aim to impart knowledge, passion, and excitement into every class, classroom, and student. I believe that a great educator should never stop learning, teaching, exploring, or questioning. As such, after earning my doctoral degree, I have begun learning to speak Italian, play the piano, and even learned to cook! I believe that if I am to "talk the talk," then I must continue to "walk the walk" side-by-side with my students. That is how and why I know that I am a strong educator, leader, and motivator for students.

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

I would take a few moments to set some short-term and long-range goals with the student so that we both know what we are working toward.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I believe that every student, given a strong foundation, can become an independent learner. My role is to help the student to build that strong foundation, so that they may stand independently and confidently.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would help the student make a connection between the material they are studying and connect it to what they want to become later in life. I would show them how learning the material now will prepare them and should motivate them to absorb the knowledge in order to put it to use in the future.

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

If a student has difficulty, I would tell them to take a deep breath and break down the skill to its beginning level. I would tell the student to hang in there and we will work it out together!

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

I try to assess each student to determine where their deficiencies are in reading comprehension. Then, I help the student to increase their context clues skills so that they can determine the meaning of any unfamiliar word to increase their understanding of the reading selection.

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

I have found that goal-setting with a student is quite a successful method to begin with when meeting a new student. I find that when we outline what our end goals are, we work harder and more diligently toward reaching the goals than if we had not set any.

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

I would explain to the student how the content we are working with applies to their long-range goals. I would show them how they can apply the skills they are learning in order to become the best they can be!

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

I would use a progress monitoring component to determine the level of understanding that a student has for the material being taught. This way, we both know how much progress has been made and what needs to be focused upon more closely moving forward.

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

I love to celebrate successes! I think that confidence comes from the realization of a student's newly found skill set. I would celebrate and uplift a student when they demonstrate growth in a subject to build confidence!

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I like to give a diagnostic assessment in order to evaluate a student's needs. I find that this helps to determine what the goals are for the student, and it helps to create an outline of the learning path we will embark on together.

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

I ask the student in an ongoing basis to give me feedback about the lessons, the material, and their own personal self-assessment of how their comprehension of the material is. I also use a lot of hands-on activities to keep the students engaged. I think that adapting tutoring lessons for a student is important, and most of the time, I find that interactive lessons are the best fit for students to keep them motivated and engaged.

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

The materials that I use change with the student, subject, and goals set forth by myself and the student. Depending upon the strengths and weaknesses of the student, I adjust the materials accordingly. I typically use a mixture of hands-on activities with traditional foundation building reading material that is focused upon nonfiction and content-based reading material.