What is your teaching philosophy?

To have fun learning, and be engaged with the subjects at hand.

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

Talk with a student to see what they are interested in, how they think they learn best, and what goals they have in learning the subject.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I try to find something that sparks the student's interest in learning, or something that makes them want to go out and find more because whatever it is, it's really cool. Finding a student's passion can help lead them to wanting to learn more on their own.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

By trying to connect smaller goals to bigger ones that will help move them forward in life. If your larger life goal is to become a football player, for example, what are the small steps along the way, such as passing a class we need to graduate, that we can accomplish to help get us there?

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

I would talk with the student to try and understand where the difficulty is coming from. What does the student think about why are they having trouble? By engaging with the student in a positive and empathetic manner, you can work together to discover why they are having difficulty, and how they can overcome it.