What is your teaching philosophy?

My favorite teachers and tutors were those who had the patience to let me work through problems on my own, but would gently push me to solve a problem just before I could say I was ready to give up. Their attentiveness was key to this, and I strive to teach with this same tactic in mind. Also, as someone who requires a blend of lesson types to fully understand difficult concepts (i.e. I learn best by combining visual, verbal, and tactile modes), I'd be happy to work with the student to teach in a way that is creative and suits the student's best mode(s) of learning.