What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that the most important aspect of being an effective teacher is getting to know your students. By developing a personal relationship with my students, I am able to get a better feel for their learning styles, their struggles, their challenges, and their strengths in order to teach using the skills and resources that are most effective for each individual student. There is no "one size fits all" approach to teaching, and the best way to be an effective teacher is develop a relationship with your student that allows a mutual sense of trust and respect, allowing me to teach effectively, but also for my students to learn effectively by catering instruction to their individual styles, strengths, and interests.

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

In a first session, I would just have a simple conversation with my student, and get a better feel for what their current struggles and challenges are, and what hurdles I may be able to help them overcome. I like to spend the first session getting to know my students, their hobbies, interests, and what it is they like to do, so that I can somehow try to relate their interests to the topic they are currently struggling with, in an attempt to make the subject more relevant to their lives, and in turn easier to grasp.