What is your teaching philosophy?

I earnestly hold true that all children-- regardless of circumstances-- can learn and receive an excellent education. My foundational approach is built on equity-pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching that is engaging, rigorous, and student-focused.

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

Get to know them! Teaching without context is a useless and impractical task.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

All students come with a variety of assets and prior knowledge. Through tying in what students already know, students can be driven to hold their ideas up to scrutiny, re-evaluate, and re-synthesize their work independently.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I draw strongly on personal relationships and connections. Focus on their strengths, identify their goals, and find steps to get to there.

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

Re-frame the question, scaffold, and build from the ground up. Pull in prior knowledge and understanding to build a strong foundation. -You can't have a roof without a solid foundation.

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

I am versed in several different reading intervention systems, including Words Their Way, the Kansas Writing Strategies, and Read Naturally. I teach strategic methods of marking text and asking questions as they read, and re-reading as often as needed.

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

Utilize relationships and their own knowledge. We often treat students as empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge; the metaphor is weak and outdated. When students have ownership in their work, they will find connections to anchor to.

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

There's a real-world application and implication to nearly every concept-- finding other engaging ways to make these connections all the more tangible.

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

I utilize frequent checks for understanding. Whether it's comprehension questions, formative assessments, or check-ins, checking for enduring understandings is crucial.

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

Start off with figuring what they know! All subjects intersect, and making connections to ideas they already possess is the best way to make the strongest connections possible.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I like to use diagnostic assessments to gauge what students are already comfortable with, and what they may need to work on.

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

I truly enjoy breaking down concepts into smaller components and building up, or making connections to what students may know or enjoy (this is especially awesome with design challenges and engineering design!)

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

I was a student with a short-attention span growing up (and a very tactile learner), so I really love to utilize activities that involve manipulative and tangible things to demonstrate concepts. Online simulations, demos, and simple labs are also useful tools.