I began thinking about actual tutoring a few weeks ago because of this class and I am pretty excited about it. But that does not mean that I'm not scared and nervous. First of all I feel good thinking about how I'm gonna be in a cubicle in the Writing Center with an ENG 099 student and just the thought of helping them to achieve something but I also worry and ask myself questions like: What if I studder on a specific question that I am being asked? or What if I am blank at the moment when a student is sitting there waiting for an answer? Or what if I am reading a part of the essay and I am unsure of something?. This is quite scary knowing that I am going to be the tutor there and I am expected to know most about the topic. Anyway, I think I may come up with a few tips on how to handle my frustration in the cubicle: If I get stuck on a question, I will just ask the student, what would your professor suggest or what is one way your professor explained this specific topic if he/she did. Another way I think I will handle it is if I am unsure of something is I should never panic!...this is a big "NO" in tutoring, so I will probably tell the student that we could come back to this part in a few minutes and that way I can think about that specific sentence or topic while we continue to look at other parts of the essay.
But I am going to let my confidence do its thing and I'll just think positive and hope that everything goes well on the day we are scheduled to tutor. And I will be sure to remember the Tutoring DO'S and DONT'S that we have been discussing in class for the past couple of weeks.
I found this piece by Sondra Perl very interesting because at first she talks about an experiment that was carried out by teachers at NYU in a writing course to tape their thoughts while they composed on a specific topic. This experiment seemed to be useful because a result came out of it the, Recursive process of writing was recognized and patterns were also observed. However, Sondra Perl also gave tips on how to recognize recursive writing and an example of it would be...stop writing and constantly going back and re-read what is written. She explains that Recursive Writing varies from 'writers to writers' and 'topics to topics'. She talks about Felt Sense, which I found very interesting because it was something that existed but was never explained and Perl actually gave it a name. I think every writer can relate to Felt sense, this process focuses on one's inner reflections and also involves bodily sensations. I thought that Retrospective Structuring and Recursive Writing were similar processes but have slight differences. To me, I thought that Retrospective Structuring leaned more towards focusing and being cautious about what you are writing and Recursive Writing, writers constantly stops and re-read what they wrote. I liked this piece because I understood it very well.
After watching some videos in my writing class I've observed that there are various ways in which tutoring can be done...but what happens when the Tutor is not very helpful. Here are some Tutoring Dont's:
1) The tutor should never get involved in a tutee's personal life. If you have to tutor, it shouldnt be about the tutee's lifestyle but the work that he/she needs help with.
2)When Tutoring you should not just do the work for the student because then the tutoring session will just be a waste of time.
3)Do not waste time or be late for your own tutoring session
4)Please do not Cheerlead too much because think about it...if the student is at a tutoring session it means that he/she has a problem or needs some help with their work
5)Body langauge is important because if you dont look like you are ready to get started, your tutee wont take you seriously.
Tutoring Do's
1) Be on time, atleast before the student, its very professional on your part
2) Be confident enough for the student to trust you...for example: be attentive to the student by asking questions.
3)Listen to what your tutee's problem is or what they need help with, if they dont tell you, ask them
4)Make sure to read the main question if it is given in an assignment or paper so you can have an idea of what to help the student with
The Feeling about being a Tutor is an exciting one, I'm saying this because being a teacher or a tutor for this matter means that the student/tutee is seeking and relying on your opinions, thoughts and knowledge to better their work. This is a big responsibility on your behalf. So I would say personally that for me, the feeling of being a writing tutor is scary but exciting, its an opportunity to share your knowledge and skills to people that need your help. I wasn't expecting to be considered as a writing tutor although I love to write and express myself through writing.
I never thought that I would've become a Tutor, atleast not now but I guess this is a good opportunity for my future career as a teacher. Writing has always been a big part of me personally because I have a habit of always writing down what I feel...it makes me really comfortable. My feelings brings me closer and closer to writing because I feel like its easier and more personal. Whe I write I feel like no one is there to judge me or comment on what I write. My Professor took us to the Writing Center at my School to observe actual tutors, we were sent in pairs to observe a tutor in a tutoring session. I realized that for most of my time there, as the tutor reads the paper that was presented to him by the tutee, he stops and asks questions. This seems to be the main strategy; to ask questions about errors that were made and what could be done to fix it without actually telling the student the actual answers. I found it interesting and I like to help people, especially in the education field. I work as a Teacher's Assistant and I mostly teach a Kindergarten class, my job is everything to me next to my school because I love teaching Kids. I certainly feel like I'm making a difference and that feels great at the end of the day! These tutors certainly makes a difference everyday and thats what I learned from my observation in the writing center.
After I read this Post, I thought that John knew a great deal about what he was writing about but he did not know how to put it in words. I thought that he could've stopped and asked himself some questions before adding details about the Song 'Psicofoni' . When you stop for a while and ask yourself questions, you might realize that the details you wrote does not sound right or answer the question that you are being asked. When John concluded his post, i liked it then I realized that it stated nothing about the author or the song itself.
I thought that overall the Post was very interesting and to the point, however some details and points should've been pointed out that was left out. The assignment was to basically answer the questions that the Professor asked...all of the questions were answered but in different order, but this is a minor problem. The author information seemed to be the main subject at a certain point and I know when writing about something that you know a lot about, you want to add every information that you know about that subject, but the focus should be there as to when to stop and what it important to be in the piece you are writing. The Conclusion was too detailed and specific...it should have been more generalized.
