No,wait!! I'm not ready yet!
I guess you might call me a perfectionist, because I like to be prepared. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than having something play out exactly as I've planned. I like organization, I like symmetry, and above all, I like logic. Crooked pictures on the wall? I'll stare at them, willing them with my brain to straighten themselves (or I'll fix them myself if it’s appropriate). Bookshelves unorganized? I'll spend several hours alphabetizing them (or, if I'm in a hurry, simply arranging them by height). To satisfy my love of preparedness and predictability, I run through scenarios in my head for anything and everything from a gunman in the Union building to an important phone call. This helps me figure out how I'd respond to any of these events, and I can refine it until it's flawless.
Weird? Maybe. Useful? Definitely.
You seem skeptical. Here's an example of how I run through scenarios:
I enjoy reading and writing fiction, but all too often, the author overlooks some simple solution in favor of a complicated, adventuresome one. In my own stories, whenever I decide to have my protagonists do something, I think about every conceivable situation and solution to whatever problem they face. My most recent dilemma was disabling a police car during a high-speed chase on the freeway, without killing the officers inside (because my protagonists aren't supposed to be murderers). My protagonists have had previous access to said car, however they couldn’t just destroy it, or a different car would be sent. The damage had to be done en route.
My first thought was, of course, dropping a spike strip in front of the car. But that created too many additional problems.
Fuel Lines!!!
You see, the gas tank is located at the back of a car. The engine is at the front, so logically, I knew there had to be some way of getting the gasoline from one end to the other. When I ascertained where this tube was located on your average police car, I was thrilled. It’s a little rubber tube that sits in a groove that runs the length of the metal undercarriage (usually on the right side) that is barely protected. When I asked a mechanic, he told me that a rock could damage a fuel line and the car would stop. No drastic, frantic swerving. No violent crashes that could kill the passengers and endanger other cars on the road. Just a gradual reduction of speed until the police car would come to a complete stop.
Needless to say, with a pair of scissors and an easily created mechanical device, my protagonists were able to halt their pursuit with the touch of a button. Problem solved.
How does this relate to tutoring? It’s something I can’t predict. I’ve tutored two months, yet I’ve only had three students come to me for help. I have no previous experience, and I don’t know the students well enough to calculate their questions, problems, responses, or anything else. I mainly do drop-in tutoring, so I’m not meeting people I’ve ever seen before. I’m not a naturally gifted public speaker—I have to practice and prepare my speeches ahead of time. I practice conversations and possible comments that might be made. When I sit down to tutor, I don’t have the luxury of rehearsing what I’m going to say. I have to do it immediately (because obviously I can’t just sit there and let them stew in their nerves while I practice mentally!). Yes, I know that like snakes and spiders, they’re more afraid of me than I am of them, but that doesn’t help me when my hands go clammy and my mind races to choose something to say that will set them at ease without undermining my own authority and now I can’t remember what they just asked me and I’ve forgotten to breathe and………….
In short, I feel completely unprepared. What if they ask something I can’t answer????? What if they get upset because of something I’ve said? (This is a valid fear. I help tutor a math lab for Math 950 students, and just Thursday one of my students burst into tears and ran out of the classroom!)
I don’t doubt my ability to critique their writing and/or English skills, simply my ability to explain them. Commas? I know where I’d put them, but I don’t know how to explain that! That’s what I’m afraid of.
Go ahead. Laugh if you like. But just remember—when there’s an emergency, come find me. I’ve probably prepared for it.
Weird? Maybe. Useful? Definitely.
You seem skeptical. Here's an example of how I run through scenarios:
I enjoy reading and writing fiction, but all too often, the author overlooks some simple solution in favor of a complicated, adventuresome one. In my own stories, whenever I decide to have my protagonists do something, I think about every conceivable situation and solution to whatever problem they face. My most recent dilemma was disabling a police car during a high-speed chase on the freeway, without killing the officers inside (because my protagonists aren't supposed to be murderers). My protagonists have had previous access to said car, however they couldn’t just destroy it, or a different car would be sent. The damage had to be done en route.
My first thought was, of course, dropping a spike strip in front of the car. But that created too many additional problems.
- It would have to be dropped from a vehicle directly in front of the police car, and policemen are taught not to drive too closely during pursuits due to this very danger (according to my next neighbor, who is a policeman).
- It would be difficult to drop a spike strip from any vehicle other than a truck, and my protagonists are in a Honda Accord (besides, they're both in the front seat).
- When car tires explode, the drivers lose a lot of control. In a high speed chase, this could prove fatal.
Fuel Lines!!!
You see, the gas tank is located at the back of a car. The engine is at the front, so logically, I knew there had to be some way of getting the gasoline from one end to the other. When I ascertained where this tube was located on your average police car, I was thrilled. It’s a little rubber tube that sits in a groove that runs the length of the metal undercarriage (usually on the right side) that is barely protected. When I asked a mechanic, he told me that a rock could damage a fuel line and the car would stop. No drastic, frantic swerving. No violent crashes that could kill the passengers and endanger other cars on the road. Just a gradual reduction of speed until the police car would come to a complete stop.
Needless to say, with a pair of scissors and an easily created mechanical device, my protagonists were able to halt their pursuit with the touch of a button. Problem solved.
How does this relate to tutoring? It’s something I can’t predict. I’ve tutored two months, yet I’ve only had three students come to me for help. I have no previous experience, and I don’t know the students well enough to calculate their questions, problems, responses, or anything else. I mainly do drop-in tutoring, so I’m not meeting people I’ve ever seen before. I’m not a naturally gifted public speaker—I have to practice and prepare my speeches ahead of time. I practice conversations and possible comments that might be made. When I sit down to tutor, I don’t have the luxury of rehearsing what I’m going to say. I have to do it immediately (because obviously I can’t just sit there and let them stew in their nerves while I practice mentally!). Yes, I know that like snakes and spiders, they’re more afraid of me than I am of them, but that doesn’t help me when my hands go clammy and my mind races to choose something to say that will set them at ease without undermining my own authority and now I can’t remember what they just asked me and I’ve forgotten to breathe and………….
In short, I feel completely unprepared. What if they ask something I can’t answer????? What if they get upset because of something I’ve said? (This is a valid fear. I help tutor a math lab for Math 950 students, and just Thursday one of my students burst into tears and ran out of the classroom!)
I don’t doubt my ability to critique their writing and/or English skills, simply my ability to explain them. Commas? I know where I’d put them, but I don’t know how to explain that! That’s what I’m afraid of.
Go ahead. Laugh if you like. But just remember—when there’s an emergency, come find me. I’ve probably prepared for it.
posted by Unknown at 1:10 PM
1 Comments:
I'm post #666. How unusual :-)
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