What is your teaching philosophy?

I like to see how much people know about their problem and then intervene when they get stuck to help. I also believe that people learn 90% of what they teach.

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

Introduce myself, get situated, and jump right into the material as soon as I can.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I can encourage students to schedule time throughout their week to study and reward themselves as an incentive for studying of their own volition. People can use a planner to write when they will study and even how long they'll study. This should help them to actually start. I believe the hardest part about studying independently is "STARTING." Start, and then let the chips fall where they may.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Create a reward system for themselves or with their parents. Is there an honorable/healthy source of entertainment you like to indulge in? Well, use that thing to motivate you. It's the classic "Work hard, play hard" method. Works like a charm.

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

I could start out having them explain to me what they DO understand and work from there. If the student has difficulty with a mathematical skill, there's likely an analogy I can use- something they're already familiar with that may help them understand how to solve their problem and others like it.

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

If it's math, I'd first tell them that math is beautiful/artistic and has created much of the world around them. I'd even go so far as to say that they are a living math problem in numerous ways! That's a cool way of thinking of it.