Philosophy
Two Tenets, Not a Treatise.
I've tried writing a proper treatise on tutoring philosophy more than once. It always turns into something else — usually a rant. So here's the short version instead.
The Core
Everything traces back to two ideas.
Anybody* can learn anything.
Given the right approach and enough time, most people can grasp most material. The barrier is usually method, not capability.
Everybody learns differently.
What clicks for one student does nothing for the next. A method isn't good or bad in the abstract — only in fit.
What That Leads To
A couple of conclusions I tend to obsess over.
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One-on-one sessions work best for most people. If learning style varies this much, the only way to actually adapt to it is to teach one student at a time.
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The American† education system necessarily fails some students. A model built for classrooms of 25–30 can't fully adapt to any one learner — which is exactly the gap one-on-one tutoring tries to close.
That's Really It
I've decided not to flesh this out further at the moment. If you have questions, I'd be happy to discuss — I may be far too happy to talk at length about it.