What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is patience and diligence. I take the time to teach my students the proper techniques, even if it takes a long time to do so. In the end, learning the right skills will save you time on the test.

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

I would have the student do a diagnostic test prior to the first session, and from those results I would use the first session as an opportunity to create the student's over-arching study plan.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can help the student become an independent learner by guiding them through the process of solving problems on their own, as opposed to simply feeding them the answers.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would ask the student to concretely picture their goals. Think about the schools that they want to get into and the things that they want to study at those schools, and let that mental image motivate them.

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

I would dissect the concept to its most basic elements, and then work up from there until the student has mastered the concept.

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

I advise them on how to strategically read a passage. This often involves knowing where in the passage to read, as reading comprehension questions often concern a specific part of the passage.

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

I would drill the student with a variety of difficult questions that incorporate the subject matter to make sure that the student understands the core concepts.

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

I build the student's confidence by starting with questions that are easy to grasp, and move up to more difficult material.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate a student's needs with diagnostic tests, such as a sample version of the SAT.

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

I would use a list of sample questions pertaining to specific SAT problem types, and I would also use full sample test sections to test their overall performance.

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

I find that is important to do an initial diagnostic test to determine the student's needs, and then I proceed to targeting the subject matters where the student needs the most help.

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

To get the student engaged in an SAT subject, I would ask the student to picture the college that they want to get in to, and then explain how their success on the SAT will help them get into that school.

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

I specifically target the subject areas where the student needs the most help, and then structure the lesson plan around those trouble areas.