What is your teaching philosophy?

I learn just as much as the student does. My job is to get to know you and determine what you have trouble in and what you don't have trouble in. I specialize how much of each topic I go over to cater to your weaknesses and strengths. Why? Asking "Why?" is a necessary question, and my students must know why they do every step of a problem.

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

Getting to know my student is key to developing a teacher to student relationship. Knowing the environment you come from - your academic background, goals in school, and work ethic are all key in allowing me to determine what you need work on. In addition to this, my students also have the chance of interrogating me, juicing out any information they want, anything for the student to get to know me better. Also, introducing the academic background I come from is key for the student to understand where their teacher stands.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

To be an independent learner, students need to learn to ask "Why?" to all they do. This is the only way that students can fully grasp a topic - if they understand why every single step is taken. More importantly, asking "Why?" is a necessary life skill to help students become not only more of an independent learner but also more independent. Developing a culture of self-thought is key to building confidence, which can transfer on in school and outside of the classroom.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Goals keep people motivated. And to keep goals in sight, students need to break goals into smaller goals, because they can remind us of the end game. Also, knowing that a teacher fully supports and offers guidance to the student will boost the student's confidence and help the student stay motivated.

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

The most important thing is to determine strengths and weaknesses. So the first thing is to go through the curriculum and determine where the student needs the most work. From there, I figure out the most effective ways of approaching material. Some students prefer practice problems over listening to my explanations, while others prefer to engage in discussion and ask their own questions.

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

When a student has a one on one teacher, it is easier to be more engaged than in a classroom setting. There will always be interaction between me and the student. So, the student will be engaged throughout our lesson. However, students will not be excited for every single subject. And many times, students tend to have trouble with subjects they are not excited about. Despite this, me and the student can be engaged in discussion and a good grade at school will generate some kind of excitement!

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

Practice, practice, practice! Practice problems are key to understanding math concepts. If a student can solve a couple different styled math problems correctly without my help, I will know then that the student understands the material. Also, the student has grasped a concept if I can ask the student why he/she approached the problem the way he/she did and he/she can answer logically.

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

Students need support from the teacher. I will explain concepts and walk the student through problems. Then, as the student feels more familiar with the subject, I will continue doing problems with the student but slowly give the student more independence in solving the problem.

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

At troubling times, I will spend more time on a specific problem or concept. Also, I will have the student do the problem a second time after I have walked the student through it. Because we are engaging in a one on one lesson, I can organize our time spent more effectively.

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

Practice problems are a must for understanding math concepts. Practice allows the student to show me how much of the concept he/she understands, and if we need to spend any more time on the concept. So, I will have a vast and various collection of practice problems.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

At our first class, I will go over the entire syllabus of topics with the student, evaluating which concepts are new and which, if any, do not need as much work in. From there, I will notice, as we learn new concepts, if the student has any misconceptions about foundational topics he/she learned in the previous years but never fully grasped. Students must have a strong foundation before learning new math concepts, so I will pay special attention to whether the student understands the reasoning behind new concepts.

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

Reading comprehension betters with more exposure. In math, understanding what the question is asking for is important. To understand this, I will draw diagrams for problems, and break down the phrases in the problems. As we continue to do more and more practice, the student will recognize questions that repeat itself just in slightly different formats. So, reading comprehension will come with more practice.