Previous fears replaced by minor worries...

Although I’ve already had the chance to tutor for a semester, I can most definitely recall the fears that I had going into working at the Writing Center. I wish that I had known then about this blog so that I didn’t feel so silly about my concerns with tutoring. 

It seems that previous tutors before me have all had very similar worries to my own. I remember being incredibly nervous the first time I observed a tutor (I will not mention his name, although this may be a compliment) and watched as he was able to explain so many different grammar rules to the writer in the session. I was afraid of not being able to accurately answer a question or of making a mistake during a session. I was also very nervous about fitting everything there was to fix in a single session. Thirty minutes can go by quickly if the session isn’t managed correctly. I am not completely free of those fears, but I have learned to ask other tutors for advice and have learned so much from the people I work with.

Now that I have tutored for a few months I can see that using resources and asking questions during a session can be one of the best things for the writer in the session. I guess one of my fears that I now have is writing on this blog. I am definitely not too young to understand what a blog is, but I have never written on one. I am not entirely sure of how these are supposed to be written, but reading through past posts has helped me feel better about it all.

Another thing I must admit is that I am a bit worried about starting to teach the workshops. I was able to slide under the radar last semester and wasn’t ever asked to teach one, but I taught one this week and have a few to teach next week. As excited as I am to teach them, I am also nervous, and I look forward to the day when they aren’t so nerve wrecking for me.

From reading through past posts, I was able to agree with many previous tutors as well as look at how far I’ve come in a semester of working at the Writing Center. I am definitely more confident in my abilities and I know that most of that confidence has come through experience. I am also not so afraid about talking to the writers that come into the Writing Center. I guess I’m just excited now to be able to learn more and more about what makes a great tutoring session. I know this class is going to help me to become a much better tutor.