Good vs Bad...I've heard of this battle before...
I’ve considered this question also. I think that both pretty bad and pretty good papers have their pros and cons. With pretty bad papers, you can see exactly what it is the writer needs to work on and explain some bigger issues overall that may umbrella other problems they’re having…like grammar ‘n stuff. The problem is, they’re having troubles with writing in the first place so it’ll most likely take a longer time to explain everything that they need to hear, especially to put it in a way that they’ll understand and will motivate them to write and revise their future papers as well. With bad papers it becomes extremely easy to point out everything that needs fixing and overlook what is working for the paper. I know personally that with bad papers I want to get straight to the point of fixing things and I forget to tell them what they’re doing right.
With the pretty good papers, on the other hand, there are more subtle problems. In class today it took us nearly the entire class time to figure out that the student needed to have a thesis to fix all of the other problems in the paper (and that, thanks to Dr. Rogers, was pretty clearly spelled out for us anyway). When reading papers that work well it’s really easy to get caught up in all the good things and it becomes more difficult to dig and come up with answers to what the student should fix. I know that when I try to explain how something should be better my mind usually goes to the hang up of “that’s just how it should be because it…sounds better that way.” I have noticed that the same thing happens when I’m trying to explain a grammar rule to someone that doesn’t grasp it quite as easily as I have. Pointing out problems with interpretation or overall purpose of the paper presents major stumbling and stuttering potential on my part. Aside from all of this, however, the pretty good papers are still pretty good. They have a lot going for them and it’s easier to be nitpicky because you know that it’ll make them a good writer and they can handle it. The feeling of being overwhelmed and trying to sort out a huge list of problems with the paper is either minimized or eliminated.
Another factor that goes into the difficulty of tutoring papers is the amount of response a tutee is having. For me, establishing a rapport or friendly-like feeling with the tutee when they first sit down puts me in a mood where I’m willing to work with them and am more likely to spend more time explaining or helping them with their major issues. Their papers may be good or bad, but the difficulty of helping them seems to decrease. If, as is very often the case with students who are required to go to the Writing Center, they’re sitting back and not caring about whatever I’m explaining to them no matter how chipper or full of sunshine I am, I tend to just say “fix it this way” and send them off. Perhaps not the best way to go…but it certainly cuts down on the talking-to-a-wall feeling, which makes life easier.
With the pretty good papers, on the other hand, there are more subtle problems. In class today it took us nearly the entire class time to figure out that the student needed to have a thesis to fix all of the other problems in the paper (and that, thanks to Dr. Rogers, was pretty clearly spelled out for us anyway). When reading papers that work well it’s really easy to get caught up in all the good things and it becomes more difficult to dig and come up with answers to what the student should fix. I know that when I try to explain how something should be better my mind usually goes to the hang up of “that’s just how it should be because it…sounds better that way.” I have noticed that the same thing happens when I’m trying to explain a grammar rule to someone that doesn’t grasp it quite as easily as I have. Pointing out problems with interpretation or overall purpose of the paper presents major stumbling and stuttering potential on my part. Aside from all of this, however, the pretty good papers are still pretty good. They have a lot going for them and it’s easier to be nitpicky because you know that it’ll make them a good writer and they can handle it. The feeling of being overwhelmed and trying to sort out a huge list of problems with the paper is either minimized or eliminated.
Another factor that goes into the difficulty of tutoring papers is the amount of response a tutee is having. For me, establishing a rapport or friendly-like feeling with the tutee when they first sit down puts me in a mood where I’m willing to work with them and am more likely to spend more time explaining or helping them with their major issues. Their papers may be good or bad, but the difficulty of helping them seems to decrease. If, as is very often the case with students who are required to go to the Writing Center, they’re sitting back and not caring about whatever I’m explaining to them no matter how chipper or full of sunshine I am, I tend to just say “fix it this way” and send them off. Perhaps not the best way to go…but it certainly cuts down on the talking-to-a-wall feeling, which makes life easier.
posted by Jessika at 11:48 AM
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