I enjoy working with people in an intellectually stimulating setting. I have gained the most satisfaction from tutoring not by pushing people beyond their perceived limits. I can simultaneously make people see the justification behind my passion for the sciences and encourage them to open their minds to it. My students actively sought out my help, and I wanted to live up to my role as an authority in my field.
I like to set an agenda for each student in our sessions in order to create a structure in which they could relax and organize their thoughts. I spent the first two to three minutes listening to them talk about their day and their interests and hobbies to connect with them as a person and find out what learning style might fit them best. For example, I notice that visual learners would pay attention to my hand movements and verbal learners sometimes write down everything that I say. I then review laws and concepts that are fundamental to understanding chemistry and frequently relate them to popular topics such as sports, weather, and family.
I plan let the students dictate the pace for the last half hour of each session. I ask a few questions to confirm that they understand what we are going over, but for the most part, my hope is for them to propose and answer their own questions. I know that every student has the scientific skills to recognize a pattern, relate the concept to something they know, and use logic, and a successful session entails that the student feels the same way.