Philosophy

I believe that all students can achieve academic success with support and attention. My work with students both in and out of the classroom has demonstrated that students thrive when they are cared for and when they come to care about their studies. In that vein, there are four pieces that guide my work in academic support:

Understanding over Memorization

I want my students to know and master content, and not just regurgitate it. Sessions include conversations about material with focus on questions of how, why and so what.

Engagement and Relevance

Mastery of content is made easier when students like what they are doing or believe it matters in their own lives. We look at how content and skills can apply to them, in and out of the classroom.

Practice

Repetition and the construction of habits serves students as they move toward mastery of content and skills. This means the implementation of particular study skills and continued drafting and re-drafting of essays and written work.

Knowing the Whole Student

For students to care about their work and the material covered, we as educators must also care for them. A strong teacher-student relationship can be motivational and transformative for the student in question.