Post process argh with a bit a theft thrown in

I want to be able to steal the ability to make students laugh. I saw Sam tutoring, and she was making the student so comfortable. I think that her positive energy is what I want to steal. Tutoring can be a serious business, but I saw her absolutely making people comfortable with her critique. It is hard for me to give feedback without sounding mean.

If I could just relax I think that would help my tutoring out. I feel like sometimes I’ll be tutoring a student and I will come across a problem that has no solution. I will fixate on this problem with the attitude that I can get it out of the student. I ask questions, and I get blank stares. This is where I need to learn from the other tutors by stealing.

At this moment my bag of tutoring tools is limited. I want to be as divers in my tutoring as possible. Take Chris for example. Every time he tutors he gives so many sincere compliments. This trait is so wonderful; I am scared to mimic him for fear that I will come across as insincere.

The goal for me is for students to feel comfortable in a session. Kassie also does a wonderful job of sincere compliments. Here sessions always sound very productive. These are traits that I will try to incorporate into my tutoring style if the occasion rises…Writing is situated.

Now that I’ve touched on that I have to talk about the class today. This “Post-Process,” is blowing my mind apart. I like it. I’m thoroughly confused with the whole idea of post process, but I get the gist that anything far sweeping is wrong; even if they preach a far sweeping idea. My little mind is having a hard time grasping the concept. The only concrete, usable, information I can ‘steal’ is that we need to be flexible.

This flexibility has to include my willingness to admit that I am wrong, and that another tutor has a better style (Even though that’s just situational… Post process argh). I guess it’s like having a mechanic that is wonderful at trouble shooting the problem of a broken car. My friend tom is a professional mechanic whom I rely on to tell me what’s wrong with my car. I never ask him to fix it; I’m fully capable of taking the part off and putting a new one on. I am happy letting him diagnose the problem on my car; however, I am not content to not know how to better help a student.

I am grateful that I have a class which forces me to become better. Without the structure of the class my tutoring prowess would not experience as fast of an increase in tutoring ability. I know that I will get better with experience, but that it’s only a process and not a product (Is that product communication or self discovery…Post process ahhhrghh). Where do these people come up with this stuff? I’m impressed and in awe with there knowledge, but I don’t understand it. Who knows, maybe someday, someone, won’t understand what I write and call it genius.