What is your teaching philosophy?

Everything can be made interesting. Learning should make students want to learn more. Curiosity, critical thinking, and deep understanding are far more important than memorization.

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

Through conversation, assess the student's prior knowledge and understanding of the topic at hand, figure out how I should act as a teacher based on the student's personality, and start finding out the most effective way to teach this student. And, of course, teach the topic to the best of my ability.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I like to work with my students to figure out which method of studying works best for them. One big part of this is which study tactic yields the greatest feeling of satisfaction once the student understands the topic.