What is your teaching philosophy?

Work with your strength. In even the most challenging subject, we all have knowledge and insight that can help us through challenging content. Success breeds success.

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

We can't learn from strangers. It's important to know each other, as teacher and student. I take time to get to know my student before we tackle the issues related to our tutoring.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Rituals, routines, systems, and structures. There is a formula to becoming a successful reader and writer. I work to help students develop a pattern and approach that is built on best practices and works best for and makes sense to them.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Develop achievable goals. Success builds upon success, so if we are in the habit of setting and achieving goals on a regular basis, we develop a pattern of success.

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

By the time students reach high school, they have already developed a depth and breadth of knowledge. Even the most difficult concept contains ideas that the students is familiar with. The key to learning is building upon what we already know.

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

Reading comprehension is about strategy and purpose. If we are reading for information and content, we must establish our purpose for reading and develop a strategy that helps us achieve our purpose.