What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in making subjects approachable to students by making them comfortable both with the material I'm teaching and with me as a person.

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

I'll go over what their goals are for our sessions, what I can do to help them achieve those goals, and go over background information on the subject to gauge what they need in order to succeed.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will not simply lecture them; instead, I'll ask them questions and see how they can relate the things I'm trying to teach them so that they can see the concepts from their own point of view.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I'll keep track of their progress and offer constructive feedback. I'll give them encouragement, even if things are difficult for them.

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

I want my students to be comfortable, so I'll get to know them a bit and let them know that our tutoring sessions are not high-pressure situations. We learn by making mistakes and seeing what we did wrong, so I'll help to create an atmosphere where learning is constructive.

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

Rather than just looking at the materials from class, I would encourage a student to look at different aspects of the subject in question. I have found that looking at the same subject matters from the same point of view can be frustrating if they are difficult or not exciting, so looking at them from different perspectives is a way to see more of the broader picture.