What is your teaching philosophy?

All students can learn, but in a different way, and on a different day! I differentiate instruction to meet the unique needs of each of my learners.

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

I will learn about each student’s interests, fears, accomplishments, struggles, and goals they would like to reach from tutoring and for their future.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Praise and encouragement. I also instill in my students that it is okay to fail because "failure leads to success!" You must always keep trying because you will eventually "get it!"

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

Find a way that works for the student to get it. I would be creative, be intentional, and be reflective.

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

I teach students to tune in to their inner voice as they are reading; to be metacognitive, which means thinking about thinking. As we read we are asking questions, making connections, making predictions and inferences, etc. Once a student realizes they are doing these things they become excited about reading. I also teach students to quickly sketch what they are visualizing as they are reading, and/or to annotate as they are reading. All of these skills aid comprehension.

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

You must build trust with students. It is important to learn about each other as individuals. It is also important that students know/learn about their tutor’s experience as an educator, and learn about how their tutor can help them.

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

I would tell a success story of a struggling student that I have taught. I would also tell of a time that I, personally struggled as a student personally when I was their age, and tell how I overcame it. Educators must be empathetic to a learner’s fears and anxieties.