What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe education is one of the most important tools a person can have in life. Every child deserves to receive the best education possible, regardless of special needs. Being placed in the least restrictive environment, gaining necessary life skills and learning how to relate and communicate with people from different walks of life is imperative to the academic growth and success of any student. I have taught children with special needs in several school districts for over ten years. It has always been my passion to help each child discover their individual gifts and talents and to reach their full potential.

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

I will get to know the scholar and know the parents. I will speak to the scholar about the goal during the session. I will also make sure I see what the struggles in the scholar’s academics are.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Students exploring for themselves is at the very core of learning. Making discoveries from a task the teacher sets that they are genuinely interested in and find challenging, and the feeling they gain from self-direction, is wonderfully rewarding for learners, as well as an incredible life tool.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I will continue to motivate scholars by helping them and giving them time to study and make sure they are building on personal experiences.

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

I will use different methods, technology and manipulatives.

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

I will use a program to build phonics and grammar skills.

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

Differentiating instruction is the most successful. Using personal experiences to help scholars.

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

I will use anchor charts and visuals.

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

Technology, visuals, and anchor charts.

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

I will build confidence by teaching re-teaching a skill and help the scholar motivate themselves.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I will evaluate the scholar’s needs by using the data from them, and talking to the parents to get to one common goal.

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

I will use my skills from being a special education teacher to adapt to all scholars' needs.

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

Materials that I use are manipulatives, technology and guided reading books.