What is your teaching philosophy?

I like to use guiding questions to help students realize the answer to a problem on their own.

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

I usually ask the student to tell me which areas of the subject they feel confident in and which areas they feel they need more help with. It is often the case that the two areas have similarities, giving the student a good starting point to gain a better understanding of the material.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Guiding students towards the answer and allowing them to realize it on their own often builds confidence and understanding that can be very useful when working by oneself.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would reassure them that the most successful people are not perfectionists. They are the people who try again after failing. I would also try to relate to their situation, as I have also had a difficult road to get to where I am.

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

I would try to ask them a question that would allow them to use the concept in their daily life. Physics and Math concepts can often be made easier in this way.

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

There are a lot of word problems in Physics and Math, so reading comprehension is important. I would try to help the student feel like they are the one in the problem so they can see how the problem can relate to their own experience.