What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that it is crucial for a good tutor to be proficient in his subject. A tutor who muddles through material and solutions to problems can do more harm than good to his students. In addition to being knowledgeable in his subject, a good tutor is able to break a topic down into manageable pieces. I believe that a good tutor must genuinely care about his students and be willing to invest not only time, but also emotional energy into his students. A good tutor must earnestly want his students to learn and succeed. A good tutor is also patient, and understands that learning is an iterative process that takes considerable effort on both the part of the student and the teacher. A good tutor must understand that learning math can be difficult and challenging, but this is also what can be satisfying about studying it.