Confidence is Key.

What I fear most, like many others on this blog, is to mislead. My inexperience is hitting me full force as I realized how little grammar knowledge I retained from my previous English courses. After bouncing around from Psychology to Elementary Education and finally settling on English Teaching, it has been over two years since I have taken an English course. So much knowledge and information has been crammed into my head completely overshadowing any valuable English skills. I have always considered English a hobby of mine and it was a slap in the face to realize I am not as technically skilled in it as I had anticipated. This is amplified by the expertise I am surrounded by. The master tutors are phenomenal at what they do and incredibly knowledgeable. It is comforting to know that they had to start at the same place I did; from square one. If I want to be an educator, this is the place to be. I am at the starting line of my future and I find comfort in my naivety. Everyone has to begin somewhere. I am nervous to begin interacting face-to-face with the tutees but I am excited as well. I enjoy helping people. That is what attracted me to Psychology in the first place. The idea that I can integrate my love for English and my love for helping motivates me. I have been brushing up on my grammar skills day by day and building confidence in my abilities as a tutor. It is important to show the student that you are confident with your skills so they sense they are in good hands. I never want to feel like I am cheating a student, or misleading them in any way. I am painfully aware that I may look past something in an essay that could turn it into an “A” paper. I hope someday that I will know the ins and outs of writing so that I can catch every minute detail to warrant the paper’s success. It would be nice if I could skip past the trial and error phase of tutoring and become a master tutor. That way, the students are ensured the top quality tutors. I know that there is a potential for give and take. We can both learn something from one another. Each session that I participate in, I will learn and gain necessary skills. In order to have confidence in my skills, I must be knowledgeable in what I am teaching. The best that I can do for my students is to educate myself and prepare myself to the best of my ability.