What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe strongly in the Montessori philosophy, where every learner is independent and everyone can be successful with the right tools. My job as a teacher is to present methods to solve each problem until we have found the way that works for each student. The only way to prove mastery is to clearly understand what is expected of each assignment. Gaining new skills is incredibly important, but being able to demonstrate these skills when asked, the way one is asked to, is as necessary as the mastery itself.