Memories light the corners of my mind...
Wow, I love a good Barbra Streisand song. Anyway, on to happy thoughts of first sessions and first lessons. Well, I just experienced my first tutoring session about thirty minutes ago. I wasn't scared to jump in as I have been in previous days. So, the poor unsuspecting 2010 student writing a persuasive paper was about to be warped by the outlining junkie. She came in so sweet and unsuspecting and placed her paper before me with the question, "What's wrong with it?" More than once I had to fight the urge to write her paper for her, or to tell her all the things wrong with it, completely forgetting about positive feedback. Thankfully, I had several voices in my head accompanying me during this session. Claire's voice telling me to be positive and let the tutee lead the way, ask open ended questions, etc. Dr. Rogers' voice asking the question over and over again, "What are you trying to say?" I had to ask myself that question many times during the session when I couldn't seem to get my point across. Finally the voice of my composition and British Lit. professor from Baton Rouge Community College.
Not unlike Derek, I had always considered myself a good writer. The first English class I have clear memory of was in fifth grade. Basic writing skills seemed to come easily to me. So, my English teachers didn't feel the need to give extensive feedback. The first time I LOVED an English class was tenth grade. If you had asked me yesterday the same question of, "When did you first learn to write and who was your major influence?", I would have said my tenth grade English teacher, Mrs. Gibson. Her class was the first time I made less than an A in an English course. After I got over being mad at her, I realized what a service she had given me. For once I was being challenged. She knew I was a good writer, but she also knew I could do better. And she made me work for every point I earned in her class. There would be no sailing through. My first glimpses of what a real essay was came from Mrs. Gibson.
With that said, it was still not Mrs. Gibson's voice I heard in my head during the tutoring session today. It was Mrs. Mack. She's the one who brought my writing skills out of the high school level (where I'd been a big fish in a little pond) to the college level. She, like Mrs. Gibson, challenged me to not get complacent in my writing and to seek after something more. She insisted that I could always do better. Mrs. Mack is also the one who taught me her secret essay formula that turned me into the outline junkie you know me to be. Don't judge me. I do what works. So, there you have it. The history of writing according to Rachel. "So let it be written, so let it be done."
Not unlike Derek, I had always considered myself a good writer. The first English class I have clear memory of was in fifth grade. Basic writing skills seemed to come easily to me. So, my English teachers didn't feel the need to give extensive feedback. The first time I LOVED an English class was tenth grade. If you had asked me yesterday the same question of, "When did you first learn to write and who was your major influence?", I would have said my tenth grade English teacher, Mrs. Gibson. Her class was the first time I made less than an A in an English course. After I got over being mad at her, I realized what a service she had given me. For once I was being challenged. She knew I was a good writer, but she also knew I could do better. And she made me work for every point I earned in her class. There would be no sailing through. My first glimpses of what a real essay was came from Mrs. Gibson.
With that said, it was still not Mrs. Gibson's voice I heard in my head during the tutoring session today. It was Mrs. Mack. She's the one who brought my writing skills out of the high school level (where I'd been a big fish in a little pond) to the college level. She, like Mrs. Gibson, challenged me to not get complacent in my writing and to seek after something more. She insisted that I could always do better. Mrs. Mack is also the one who taught me her secret essay formula that turned me into the outline junkie you know me to be. Don't judge me. I do what works. So, there you have it. The history of writing according to Rachel. "So let it be written, so let it be done."
posted by Rachel at 3:24 PM
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