Frustration

Feel frustrated at times? Feel free to print this off at any time. It works for me.



The most frustrating tutoring experience that I have had happened two days ago. One day, one of my friends walked into the Writing Center wanting a session. I got up and decided to take him for a session. I could tell from the way that everything was that this session would be one of disaster. During this session, I had experienced a number of problems like I knew I would. Most of these problems came from the fact that he was my friend. It can be very difficult when tutoring a friend. That is why a tutor should always think twice before tutoring a friend.

Not every session goes the way a tutor wants. I allowed myself to tutor a friend, and by doing so, I crossed the line in more than one area. Boundaries are different when you tutor someone that you are acquainted with. For example, this student that I tutored is my friend; he wanted me to edit his paper. I tried explaining to him the goal of the Writing Center, but the information just went in one ear and out the other. The reason why this was so was because he did not see me as a tutor—he saw me as a friend. There were different levels of respect that we had for each other. Since we are friends, the levels of respect were obscure in the Writing Center.

Not tutoring your friends is just a suggestion. On most occasions it is preferred you do not tutor someone you know, but it is not the law. It is more of personal judgment.