What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes a person learns should never exist in a bubble: the more new ideas connect to other areas of knowledge, the stronger and richer that knowledge becomes. I want to make the connections visible and tangible, and connect them directly to life whenever possible. Learning is most satisfying when a student can own it and internalize it as a relevant part of his or her path in life.

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

In order to have a good tutoring relationship, we'll have to spend some time sizing each other up. I'd spend some time sharing my experiences, strengths, and interests, and invite the student to do the same. Then we'd talk through what the student wants out of the experience, and we can collaborate on a plan for getting there. At that point, we can dive into some relevant topics and make some tangible progress toward those goals.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I believe part of my job as a tutor is to help a student understand "Why?" Why learn this? Why try? Without being able to answer this question, it's unlikely a student will "own" his or her education. After this first critical step, I help students learn to pursue his or her own interests and own unique ways of engaging content, as everyone learns differently and connects to ideas in different ways. Helping the student unlock and cultivate these unique methods of engagement is an integrated part of each session.