What is your teaching philosophy?

As a lifelong learner, I believe we are all students, and those who love to learn should be celebrated. As a student, I have always felt that teaching was such a gift of service that I am grateful to give back to my community.

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

I'd ask students about their study habits (night owl or early bird) and whether they are a visual/kinetic/oratory learner. I'd also ask about what their favorite and least favorite parts of their subject are and what type of studying has worked best for them in the past so I can try and emulate the environment that is most conducive to success for that student.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I would encourage a student to learn on his or her own by finding what area/subject they are interested in and giving them an incentive to discover that--i.e. helping them find the joy in knowledge-seeking.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Eyes on the prize: goal-setting is an extremely useful method of incentivizing motivation, especially when goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely).

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

I'd take the time to find out what it is that is causing them difficulty: lack of experience or time to practice/understand, etc., and then tailor my lesson to that from there.

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

I would encourage students to simplify the task: start small and then summarize each paragraph/section piece by piece.