What is your teaching philosophy?

To every question, there is an answer, but by no means is there only one path to that answer. Stay creative with the possibilities and the limit is infinity.

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

A first session should focus on two activities. One, there should be familiarity such that I give my brief background in the topic and the student gives me theirs. Two, we jump right into the subject and begin sorting out where the student has difficulty in the subject, whether it is comprehension or computational.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By isolating the areas where the student is challenged, I can focus on giving exercises and practice problems working on building confidence and comprehension in the problem areas. Once the challenging areas are understood, the student will learn how to apply the technique of isolating the problem to any future challenge.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would reveal to the student that academic work never came to me easily. It does require work, determination, and especially perseverance. I am living proof that when a student keeps striving, beyond just the classroom, they can achieve anything. A student of any subject will never fall short of their goals if they keep practicing and keep persevering.

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

Once there is clear difficulty in a specific topic, I lead the student through the problem by example. I create similar problems and guide the student through my thought process while solving the problem. Often times, this works and the student feels comfortable doing the problem on his/her own. However, in the case this does not work, I then create simple practice problems pertaining to the subject and allow the student to build their own thought process in solving the problems, working all the way up to solving problems above the difficulty of the original problem.

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

I can relate to students struggling with reading comprehension, as I often fell below average in reading skill during my elementary and middle school years. I would offer the advice never to become frustrated by what others can do and focus on the best he/she can do. With help sounding out words, explaining context clues, and providing guidelines for reading advanced texts, I can help a student of any level of education build their reading skills.

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

Always remain positive. All positive feedback has proved to be the most successful strategy in helping a student understand their work. Stay upbeat and cheerful with the student so the same attitude spreads into the work they are doing. The overall positivity changes the way the student may feel about the subject, and the challenges they face in the subject, such that they may begin to enjoy finding challenges to conquer.

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

I always try to relate the subject to some real life matter. If the student is interested in music, but they have to finish their math work, we can relate the quadratic equation to that of the frequency of a guitar string being plucked. There is always a connection between school and real world activities. It is up to the tutor to see the connection and make it a reality in the student's mind.

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

Always review the previous lesson before beginning the new lesson. This is a technique I always appreciated in school, when the teacher would review the homework before continuing with the new lesson. If there is still difficulty with the old material, the new material will only get more challenging due to the cumulative nature of education.

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

Confidence can only be built by repeatedly answering questions correctly. If the subject is English, questions pertaining to a novel or passage should be broken into their simplest elements and answered by basic means first. If the subject is Physics, the question must be broken down into simple equations and understandable measurements. In any case, the secret to answer questions correctly is breaking down the questions and finding out what the question is truly asking of the student.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

The best way for me to evaluate where a student needs the most help is by watching them solve problems and answer questions. Once I see where they freeze or where their thought process stops, I will understand what I have to begin teaching the student.

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

Every student is a special case. There is no one formula to tutor students. Often times by relating to the student's life and hobbies, I can figure out how best to help the student. If they are an artist struggling with math, I will relate by telling the student I was in the same boat as they are now. If it is a science student that needs to fulfill an economics requirement, I would encourage the student to put in the work now so they do not have to repeat the class in a later year.

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

I stick to the basics of pen and paper, with the occasional calculator if tutoring math. Since students write down notes with pen and paper, they are most familiar with these materials. I use the paper as my blackboard and have the student sit near me as I explain the work. This forms a personal bond between tutor and student that a teacher can often not create. The simplicity of pen and paper shows that even the toughest problems can be answered with the simplest materials.