I believe that every individual deserves a fair chance to succeed not only in school, but in life. Whether inadequate school resources necessitate a second teacher to help struggling students succeed in their academic career or lifelong learners desire a personal guide to explore new subject areas, I am so excited and grateful to be a part of the online learning community.

As a lifelong learner myself, I have engaged (and continue to engage) with many teachers and tutors in and outside of the classroom. Beyond the invaluable knowledge they impart on me, every teacher has something unique to offer when it comes to how they teach. Some teachers primarily engage their students in tutorial or Socratic-seminar format. Others believe in lecture format, where clarification questions may be asked only after the lesson has been taught. Teaching styles vary from teacher to teacher and subject to subject, of course, but I have noticed one consistent quality shared among every great teacher or tutor I have ever hadthat is, they love to watch people succeed.

This is not to say all they care about is success. Failure can be just as important, if not more. It is also not to say that they wish to see their students trump others. Success does not equate to winning; it is not the complete absence of failure. On the contrary, success is a measurement of progress contingent on each individual's goals, capabilities, and determination. Understanding success as the final product, therefore, is an absurdity. Let us consider a hypothetical: One of my students takes what she learns from her tutoring sessions over macroeconomics and lands a six figure job as a Market Research Analyst for Corporation X. She praises herself for the tremendous success and accepts the position. Over the next few months, she slacks off and the CEO fires her. This will happen to anyone who views success as a one-time win or an A+ on a test. Success is not the end; success is a commitment to self-improvement. That is why I chose to be a tutor - I love watching individuals succeed when they are given the tools necessary to improve their lives.