What is your teaching philosophy?

I don't just want to teach my students the answers, but how to ask the right questions-- questions that seek a fundamental understanding of the subject. The answers will come naturally.

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

I like to talk to the student and hear their own assessments of their strengths and weaknesses. Based on their answers, I delve further into understanding what their abilities are, and how to shore up gaps in those abilities.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I don't just impart knowledge of a subject to my students; I teach them how to improve that subject on their own time. By identifying a student's particular learning style, I can teach them how to best study on their own.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Motivation stems from confidence, and I work to instill confidence in my students every step of the way. It's most difficult to motivate yourself to do something that you believe is beyond you; I'll show you that it's within your grasp.

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

Oftentimes, inability to grasp a concept is caused by misunderstanding an underlying concept. I would attempt to identify that gap first. Failing that, time and good practice problems can help overcome difficulties in learning. If that too fails as an approach, then I would help the student develop compensatory strategies for working around a concept, so they could at least apply it even without fully understanding it.