The Diary of a Tutor

When it comes to tutoring, I'm most scared about advising the student incorrectly. As tutors, we all have our own experiences in the classroom. Additionally, we all have different learning styles as students. Therefore, I would say my biggest 'fear' is failing to help the student meet their potential because I'm unable to adapt to their style of learning or relate to their academic experiences. A secondary concern is for the student as a tutee. They come to the writing center because they doubt their own ability to write - to a degree. So, they consider the tutors to be advanced and may take something we suggest too seriously. My goal is to remind the student that we are consultants, not editors. Our suggestions are just that, suggestions. While the concrete aspects (MLA, format, etc) are things they should definitely listen to, comments on style or phraseology should be heard but aren't rules. They can be toyed with and explored by the tutee until they find their own voice as a writer.

As far as the hoards of 1010 papers, I most fear my inability to grade them based on the writing level of the students. I've heard my teachers tell me that they grade students based on academic level. As a graduate student, I'm accustomed to writing and reviewing papers of a certain writing standard, not basic composition. So I hope to hone my ability to grade partially and clearly for those who are at a different educational level than myself.