Warning: The opinions expressed in this essay/paper are solely of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the tutor!
Good question. I have had a few papers in my tutoring experience that I can honestly say needed to be written over again. So, what have I done? I usually have taken a minute or two after I read it and I begin to think of what to tell my student. I just stare at the paper. It seems like I'm still reading the paper, so the student doesn't know I am actually thinking about my response to this terrible paper. LOL! But seriously, I do need a minute to think about the strengths of the paper. Even if there's just one, I still try and pull that out so I can show the student what to continue building on. By the time I have read the paper, I usually would have asked what kind of paper he or she is writing and who is his/her audience? I ask the audience one b/c I've noticed that a lot of Eng 1010 and 2010 students write papers/reports with the professor in mind. They don't always read the assignment directions. I tell my students that this paper is a good start towards a very good paper. Usually, focus is the big issue for the students that I tutor. My students come from a diverse background and usually have been through many tough times. They like to tell their experiences in essays/papers to make their work more personal. Sometimes, I must remind them what the professor really wants. Sometimes, you have to bring the student back and make them focus.
I have honestly can't think of a time that I have had an offensive paper come my way but I know it's coming. What will I do when that happens? My answer is in the next paragraph.
Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I have had an offensive paper in my position before. I know some of my own papers have been somewhat controversial. Maybe it is because at the end of the day I am a tutor and the essay/paper is the student's. That's it! I do have moments when I have wanted to tell the student that he/she has wrong information on the paper. Sometimes it is that the paper just doesn't make sense. But what is the thing that makes my job easier and harder? It is when the student comes in to see me and he/she tells me what they need help with.
That's it! If he/she asks for grammatical help, then that's all I help with. I will not go all out and try to "rewrite" a paper. If a student comes in and asks me if his or her paper "sounds good", then I will read it (after asking what the paper is about and what is the assignment, etc) and give the student my opinion, then showing them what to build on. You know what, maybe I have read tons of offensive papers. But the thing about it is that I am honestly not interested in the paper. I am just doing my job. I'm not here to tell the student that he/she is wrong. I am here to help teach the student why this has to be written like this and so on and so. I know this sounds bad but this is how I feel. I do care about how the paper is written, what the subject is, etc. But I care about this for tutoring purposes only.
Maybe I should make stickers that I can place on my student's papers that say:
I have honestly can't think of a time that I have had an offensive paper come my way but I know it's coming. What will I do when that happens? My answer is in the next paragraph.
Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I have had an offensive paper in my position before. I know some of my own papers have been somewhat controversial. Maybe it is because at the end of the day I am a tutor and the essay/paper is the student's. That's it! I do have moments when I have wanted to tell the student that he/she has wrong information on the paper. Sometimes it is that the paper just doesn't make sense. But what is the thing that makes my job easier and harder? It is when the student comes in to see me and he/she tells me what they need help with.
That's it! If he/she asks for grammatical help, then that's all I help with. I will not go all out and try to "rewrite" a paper. If a student comes in and asks me if his or her paper "sounds good", then I will read it (after asking what the paper is about and what is the assignment, etc) and give the student my opinion, then showing them what to build on. You know what, maybe I have read tons of offensive papers. But the thing about it is that I am honestly not interested in the paper. I am just doing my job. I'm not here to tell the student that he/she is wrong. I am here to help teach the student why this has to be written like this and so on and so. I know this sounds bad but this is how I feel. I do care about how the paper is written, what the subject is, etc. But I care about this for tutoring purposes only.
Maybe I should make stickers that I can place on my student's papers that say:
WARNING: The views expressed in this essay/paper are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the tutor!
- Joel Cardenas
PS: I'm copyrighting that!
posted by Joel Cardenas at 8:23 PM
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