When I think about what makes a great tutor, I think about what I would like in a tutor for myself. They should be approachable, helpful, patient, friendly, flexible, and reliable. I feel as though I encapsulate all of these traits and then some. I am an extrovert with introvert tendencies; so I am able to relate to different types of students, whether they are loud and boisterous or quiet and reserved. I love helping others, not because I feel good about myself, but I genuinely enjoy seeing people "get" the material and giving back. Patience, I was just fortunate to always have it. I have had to tutor groups of elementary school friends, which one could imagine how unfocused they could be. I have the ability to work with someone, whether they pick something up immediately or takes lots of repetition.
I've got years of experience volunteer tutoring with different organizations from the Day in the Life Program in Charlottesville, VA to mentoring middle school and high school students through the national programs of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Being flexible and reliable are important to me because we don't know how a student learns so we cannot just expect them to learn the same. Lastly, I just care about making relationships with my students. The biggest thing I have noticed from past experiences is that if a student likes their tutor, he or she are more likely to want to learn and do better. I am currently working on my M.S with required lab so my availability will be in the late afternoon through the evening. Additionally, the M.S will also require me to stay around even during the summertime. With that being said, I will be able to work year around.