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

I believe students learn from those they respect, trust and admire. In order to establish effective teacher/student relationships, I first ask questions about student strengths and build upon common interests. I use flexibility, creativity and humor to establish relationships hospitable for growth and empowerment. Baseline assessments may be administered during the first session or subsequently.

What is your teaching philosophy?

I foster a 1:1, student centered tutoring experience based on Choice Theory principles and Reality Therapy applications to empower students with confidence, knowledge and strategies to achieve their goals and further succeed in and out of the classroom.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

By fostering a student centered approach to education based on Choice Theory principles and Reality Therapy applications, students will develop confidence, knowledge and strategies to achieve their goals and further succeed in and out of the classroom.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Through role modeling.

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

I offer reading assessments to identify baseline levels for student reading comprehension.

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

I find flexibility, humor, creativity, accountability, and mutual respect to be paramount when starting with a student. In sum, developing a working relationship with a student based on trust and mutual respect is essential for effective learning to take place.

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

I find out what is important to a student, and make those things important to me. For example, if a student likes legos and does not like to read because he or she struggles with reading, I find a way to teach that student how to read using legos.

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

I believe a student can only build his or her own confidence. All I can do is offer information and create a hospitable environment for learning to take place. Thereupon, I do praise students for progressing and overcoming challenges. I prioritize examining student strengths and spending a substantial amount of time reviewing student areas of mastery to maintain awareness of student skill level. I also ask questions about how students are feeling towards certain tasks, listen and alter my sessions to provide a balance of challenge and mastery.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate a student's needs based on simply asking them: what do you need? Most students (depending on age) know what they need more than anyone else does. However, I also believe sometimes students benefit from an outside perspective. Goals can be established and altered according to an agreement with student, parent, teacher, tutor and other supportive people helping students achieve goals.

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

Having worked with juvenile and "at-risk youth" as well as non-verbal special needs students, I have learned to pay attention to body language for cues as to what basic needs students yearn to satisfy. Once basic survival needs are met (for example, I find students struggle to learn new concepts when they have not eaten lunch, are extremely thirsty, etc.) I take time to learn what a student needs emotionally, academically, therapeutically, etc., and foster these needs throughout my sessions.

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

I use a variety of materials depending on student needs. I believe no two students learn the same way. As a result, I maintain strategies that tend to work for most students, but omit certain materials that do not prove to be effective.