STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY: Jonathan Sanford Saul

I believe in educating the whole student. Students must learn to negotiate successfully

in ‘the real world’ as well as achieve academic success. For many of today’s students,

this represents a formidable challenge.

In my experience, the majority of students are highly motivated. This is, for me,

the key to success. However, very often, students require assistance with a wide range

of ‘remediation’ in many of life’s basic competencies: a skill set that includes such

issues as time management, test taking, study habits, and, sometimes, acculturation.

Individual tutoring, with numerous personal contacts with students, from my point of view,

represents a fertile ground for re-enforcing the (real-world and academic) virtues of

responsibility, autonomy, decision-making, planning, and communication. My approach

is to embed in these interactions with the values that foster such virtues, while at the same

time operating with sufficient flexibility to meet the complex personal, family and academic

needs of the students. The process of assisting the student is as important as the outcome.

Each interaction should be a learning experience.

Towards this end, I seek to provide services to students through information sharing and

problem solving. I am a strong supporter of technology, although I recognize that not

every problem has a technological solution.

My style is to develop creative approaches to student issues. I believe in cooperation,

student and teacher (and parents) all pulling in the same direction, seeking the same

ends, and operating according to student-centered principles. This will often involve

sharing procedures, issues and concerns. The left hand and the right hand (to say nothing

of the feet) must always know what the others are doing and why. This is the most

productive approach, in my experience. Quality, prompt, courteous and accurate service

is always my goal.