In my first tutoring session I observed Marissa, a lovely student at Centenary University who answered any questions I had and made me feel quite comfortable in the Writing Collab.
When tutoring, Marissa used many techniques I immediately recognized from my time in class learning about the best ways to approach tutoring. For me, this reaffirmed that these techniques work not only in theory, but in real life tutoring situations. It was helpful to see these techniques in action, such as Marissa offering to read the tutee’s paper aloud, or making the tutee feel comfortable by saying, “Don’t worry, I used to struggle with rhetorical analyses as well.” These techniques, which I’ve read about in class and discussed with my fellow classmates, are definitely worth learning about and using in real life.
What really stood out for me was Marissa’s personal tutoring style, which I imagine would be similar to mine. She was reserved but vocal, gently pushing the tutee to come to her own conclusions about what was missing in her paper or what might need to be added. It was nice to see a tutor who I could relate to in action and really helping a student with their writing.
This experience, in conjunction with what I have been learning in class, has actually affected me outside of class and the Writing Collab. I often try to help my boyfriend, who is a business major, with some of his papers. I notice that since I have taken this class and observed my tutoring session, my approach has been entirely different. I feel more equipped to actually help him than I ever did before. After all, being a good writer does not necessarily make someone a good tutor.
I find myself using the techniques I’ve seen in action and read about in class, such as having him show me his source and asking him, “So, what do you think this author is trying to say and how does it relate to your thesis?” instead of spoon-feeding him the answer. I also have learned a lot about letting the tutee maintain their voice and their own personal writing style. While in the past I may have been a little more nitpicky when it comes to his word choice or language, I have definitely taken a step back and realized that he should have authority over his own writing and use his own voice.
Overall, my experience observing Marissa taught me new methods as well as reaffirmed some beliefs I’ve been forming about how a tutoring session should go. I feel that as a result of this and everything else I have been learning, I am becoming someone who would really be helpful in assisting tutees to find their voices and communicate their ideas effectively via written word. I am definitely looking forward to observing another tutor and experiencing what it is like to tutor myself.
