I Don't Remember Much

I will be perfectly honest in saying that I do not remember much about the first session I took. I do remember that before I was given the go ahead to start tutoring I read so many of the grammar and style books. While it does seem kind of boring, it actually proved to be invaluable preparation. The anxiety I felt about helping my first student really seemed to melt away as a result of arming myself with the knowledge I needed.

I'm sure many of you are thinking, " How could you ever forget your first tutoring session?" Well believe it or not, you probably will forget yours too. I know that back in January it seemed that taking my first session was such a big event, and that it would forever stand out in my memory... but it doesn't. I do remember feeling the kind of nerves and anxiety that have been mentioned by many tutors in their blog posts , and I definitely felt better once that first session was done and over with. Having that ominous first session no longer hanging over me, I was able to relax a bit and start to improve my skills.

During the course of the spring and summer semesters I had the opportunity to help students with a wide variety of assignments. I started out taking 1010 and 2010 papers, then I gradually moved into tutoring those who were here for help in subjects other than English. Some were extremely interesting, and of course some were a struggle to get through. At a certain point however, the sessions I've had start running together. Tutoring is something that does get easier with time. It becomes easier to relax, easier to have quality discussions with the student, and  easier to answer those tough questions.

I would never say that I am completely at ease when going into a session, but I no longer feel that sense of fear and nervousness that were present when I first began to tutor. Every session is a little bit different, and because of that there is always something to be learned.