After reading our selections from our textbook, I have found that a very important part of tutoring is the interpersonal relationship between the consultant and the client. Even if the consultant does not always have the answers, they can always provide a comfortable environment for the client to come with inquiry. The job of the consultant is to inspire the writer, not just provide answers. Communication is a very important part of the tutoring experience. This reading selection made me feel more comfortable about becoming a tutor. I fear that I will not be able to provide the proper answers that the clients seek, but as long as I provide inspiration, then I am doing the best job that I can.
Another selection explained the difficulty that an ESL student can have writing. It is important that the student does not feel as if they must give up his or her culture. The story of the girl from the Navajo culture was upset that she had to give up her culture and her language. Her tutor worked with her to inspire her own thoughts and ideas, which included parts of her culture. Therefore, she could write about her culture and her interests. The tutor did not tell her what to write. Instead, she asked the student about what was important to her, and encouraged her to write about it. I hope that I can also guide my clients in this way, encouraging them to find their topics and abilities instead of instructing them. It is important to inspire the students to write about their interests, regardless of their culture. The student cannot produce a strong paper if they are not interested in the subject.
As a whole, I learned about how important communication is in these tutoring sessions from our reading selections. Consultants may not always have the answers, but they do have the ability to provide assistance, comfort, and inspiration to the clients that come to them. Clients and consultants can form a comfortable bond, so the client can informally express what he/she is trying to communicate. From that point, the consultant may help them transform what he/she wants to say into the words, and collaboratively, create a well-written paper.
References:
Murphy, Christina and Steve Sherwood. The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 7-8.
Murphy, Christina. "Freud in the Writing Center: The Psychoanalysis of Tutoring Well." In Murphy and Sherwood, 95-99.
DiPardo, Anne. "Whispers of Coming and Going: Lessons from Fannie." In Murphy and Sherwood, 100-116.
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I completely agree that tutors aren't always going to have "the answers" - in fact, I sometimes think the best a tutor can do is help the student find the question! What I mean is, I'm not convinced that many student writers really understand what writing "is." They think of it as responding to an assignment prompt, as pounding out a required number of pages (or words) for a teacher to hack through with her red pen, instead of seeing writing as a means of discovery, a way to think, to learn, and to express ideas. Writers come to a writing center many times for help with their writing, but they think that means help untangling an assignment, or fixing their comma problems, or learning how to organize their thoughts, when we are trying to guide them toward a wholly different understanding of writing - one that is more complex.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's a bit off-topic, but your response made me think! To bring it back around, I'm considering how vital a good communication between consultant/client is to moving clients toward deeper, more complex understandings of writing. If they come to writing centers and find writing treated the same formulaic way it is in many classrooms, will clients be, as you say, "inspired"? I think not. So part of the interpersonal relationship is also finding ways to convey our love of writing.
When i first decided to do this i was really nervous that i wouldn't be very good or that i wouldn't have the answers people want. Now that i've been in the writing room more I realize that I probably know more than I think. It is more important the the tutor can help the student find answers so that next time they need assistance they know where to look.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion tutoring should be nothing but communication.