The Mark

In each paragraph and sentence, there becomes a purpose for which the collection of words and emotions were gathered. As I enter into this tutoring arena, my greatest fear becomes that of hesitation, in which I know not, what I will be venturing into, as I sit down with a student and try and help them with their paper. But my hesitation, is more than just the paper, it is gaining a relationship with that person, so that they feel comfortable enough to come back to the Writing Center and know that they are not alone in their trials of trying to survive college.

Upon entering the world of tutors, my hesitation, becomes that of missing the mark. A person's paper, sentence, words, are more than just a blot of ink upon that paper. It becomes their legacy of knowledge, that they learn from and are sharing with a tutor, in that session. Their grade hinges upon their knowledge, gained in the classroom, and their ability to apply it to a document. My job, then becomes that of a student, to learn and help them through their journey. But still the nerves set in.

What if I miss the main point of the assignment? What if I don't allocate the twenty minutes that this student has given me, correctly? What if..? Indeed, these fears and hesitations are only minute in the grand scale of my life, but imagine, what they can do to someone else's life. A kind smile, and helping a person through this difficult time in their life, can mean the difference between success in college and their life taking a different path. The philosophical assumptions that cultivate within my mind, question my involvement with the paper.

Although I may be helping a student with their paper, their paper must remain their own piece of work. How do I know when I cross the line between helping too much and not helping at all. To sit, to listen, to understand, to fathom the extent of their ideas within the universe, all while staying within the bounds of a role I must fill. The condemnation that I must face, should I step outside these ominous bounds, to face the recognition of changing their idea. Thus, my underlying assumption becomes a belief that the idea of the paper holds truth. All that misses the mark is the link, to find the commonality between the thesis of the argument and the assignment of the paper.

All of these ideas flourish into the overarching solution to the psychological warfare that I enter into with myself. It is true, that a person’s fears can overwhelm them, until the solution seems unreachable. However, hope shall overcome the fears, the fear of truth and ideas will help me to help others in their college experience.