Frustrating

So far, the most frustrating tutoring experience has been when the couple of times the Davis Campus tutoring center has been inundated with tutees and I am the only writing tutor on duty. Catherine can also attest to the nature of these moments. (That name is okay, right?) The problem is multi-fold. First of all, there is only so much room in the Davis Campus Tutoring Center. There are only about five tables, and there is math tutoring also going on, so it is crowded. Second of all, I can only tutor one person at a time, so people are forced to wait. I hate making people wait. Third of all, if it is a big assignment, the tutoring session is longer, which means a longer wait. This increases everyone's frustration. It is hard to maintain a questioning guise when there are five or six tutees waiting. You just want to grab the pencil or pen and show them what to do. Then all of your training kicks in and you have to say no. I have to physically sit on my hands to keep from totally taking over in this situation. Frustrating? That barely begins to describe it. I almost have to pretend that it is just me and the tutee and focus all of my time and energy on that illusion. It can be exhausting. Maybe that's why I got swine flu.
However, as frustrating as this is, it is also some of the most rewarding time I have had. It feels really good to help ten or more tutees in one shift. Also, this is where I over hear things like, "I want her (points to me). She's an awesome tutor." Which is completely validating and an ego boost to boot. Who doesn't like an ego boost? I love them. (But I'm kind of self-involved.)
Even in the most frustrating situation, I still love what I do.
Yet, there is always at the back of my mind all of the work that I have to do for my own classes. It seems there are not enough hours in the day. Being laid up on the couch with the flu does not help at all, and in fact has put me even more behind. I feel like taking a nap every couple of hours and not doing much else. This has been frustrating. Especially when I have a 300+ page novel to read, a bunch of summaries, a presentation and three huge papers to write. I need some red bull and some valium stat. (There's that self-involvement again!)
Back to the original situation, it can sometimes be upsetting to try and make a student feel good when there are a bunch more waiting. I try and always be encouraging, but occasionally, I think I just make tutee's feel less than. I always try and let them know that I am a master's student, and I don't understand everything and that practice makes perfect. However, if you are the ninth or twelfth person I've seen that day, it might not sound so helpful.
The nice thing is that my bosses and I have been working with the professors to make sure we don't have these kinds of jam-ups. But, students are students and they will wait till the last minute, and we will be jammed. C'est la vie.