What is your teaching philosophy?

Patience is very important in helping each student improve his/her understanding of any given subject. Understanding where the frustration lies and improving on these areas can help each student get to the answer quicker than the last time!

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

I evaluate where his/her strengths and weaknesses are in the particular subject. Once that's done, I try to find the correlation between sections, and help the student understand how they relate to each other, in order to turn the weaknesses into strengths!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I help a student become an independent learner by helping them understand the basic principles first, even if it's already been taught in class, in order to help them be able to solve every problem as often as possible.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I help a student stay motivated by empowering them in knowing that they can be great at a subject, even if it's been said it's one of their weaknesses! By giving them confidence from the first session, and building that confidence up by making sure they understand the material, each student can become consistent in solving each problem they come across!

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

I go back to the basics and retrace his/her steps to find where the difficulty lies. Once that's determined, I teach him/her the principles of those areas and have him/her build their confidence through practice!

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

I find it successful to find not only a student’s weaknesses, but also their strengths in a given subject. By finding the correlation between each of these areas, I can help the student understand the material they struggle with better and become a better student overall.

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

I help a student get engaged by empowering them to know that because they do well in some areas, they are absolutely capable of excelling in the areas they struggle with.

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

I assure that a student understands the material by evaluating their progress prior to our first session, reminding students why they understand the areas they excel in by going through the material, and walking through the material they struggle with in the same manner. I give example problems that I help them with, then provide practice problems for them to try on their own. Repeat!