What is your teaching philosophy?

Students are smart in their own way; whether or not they understand a topic at the beginning, middle or end of a lesson varies from student to student. All that matters, is that the student is to comprehend, analyze, and recite back with full confidence what they had learned as if they knew it all along. One of my most favorite quotes comes from Albert Einstein and it reads, "Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." This one simple quote is exactly how I view teaching, tutoring and coaching young minds to realize their true potential. Each situation is different, and not one style will work on every student. It takes a collaborative approach between the teacher and student throughout the learning process. Patience and understanding on the part of the teacher, and trust on the part of the student, are the fundamentals to fully comprehending any given topic.

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

Get to know the student. Their likes, dislikes, frustrations and pain points. Try to understand what they do outside of class; understand their sense of humor and what kind of tone they set when speaking. These are essential to get to know how to teach someone.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Have them create their own test - something that they know will challenge them and grade them on it. Having them trust you that you're on their side (which you always are!).

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Ask them what their aspirations are, and remind them of those aspirations when they get down.

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

Let them explain it to me so I can get a grasp for how much they actually understand. If that fails, we take a break and think about something they do know and love to get their confidence back. School is very similar to sports; once you get in the zone - things just come easy.

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

Have them read out loud - reading out loud can help them understand what they are actually reading. I know it worked for me when I was in school.

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

Find out what they know.

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

Draw parallels to their everyday lives and what they know and love. This can be done with mostly everything.

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

Have them teach me as if I had no idea about it.

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

Start with the basics, and work your way up from there. Just like sports, you have to learn how to play the game before you can compete.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Ask them what they are looking for out of school.