I know we heard that it is rare, and that if you do get a regular it is because you are doing too much "fixing" or whatever. But I now have a girl who has come to me 3 times and is planning on a fourth and fifth time. Being aware of the reading and people who have said that regulars are usually so because you do too much "fixing" and not enough tutoring, I have had a few other more experienced tutors in the writing center sort of eavesdrop and evaluate my sessions with her to see how they match up with their style. They say I'm doing great, so I take that as a good sign. And every time she comes to me she has a different writing "issue" and the stuff we have gone over in previous meetings is not eradicated but definitely improved.
I love having a regular because that is the kind of person I am. I regularly go to one girl in the tutoring center (I have tried a few other tutors due to timing issues but I still love this girl the most for the projects I have been working on). I think being and having a regular is great because you really do build a relationship with that tutor and you come to value and trust their opinion as a "practiced audience."
It's also nice to hear back from the student about how their paper ended up, not grade-wise but their satisfaction with the piece they turned in and if their teacher liked the changes and modifications that were made when the teacher had seen the draft previous to the writing center visit.
I've also found that the other tutors I have come to know and respect their style in the writing centers do have those regulars. I don't know if they have been mandated that they have to work like that or if they do it because they love the experience and the help. I know I am the later.
Truly the writing center has enriched my life both as a tutee and as a tutor.
Do any of y'all have regulars or have the people you seen been one timers?
Do you think that regulars are a result of too much "fixing" like we read and heard from others?
I haven't had a regular at all! Then again, I work at a pretty lucrative hour on Monday afternoons and I tend to get appointments filled in (and I kid you not) seven days in advance. I'm half surprised no one has scheduled for me yet, but I remember being at the Matt and Kim concert (which took place on a Tuesday night)and getting an appointment made!
ReplyDeleteAll of the one-timers I get have been pretty nice people, I haven't had any issues with anyone and I'm glad that they've gotten the help they need.
On the fixing issue, I try to go over the mistakes my tutees have made and tell them if they've made too many repeating mistakes. They've almost always prefer that I read their papers out loud and have sometimes asked me questions about their insecurities over their papers. I think the "fixing" issue can go either way. Sometimes, people really do have a bond and feel a comfort in knowing that you're doing the right thing and helping their grades progress. But there are others who take advantage of the system and it'll become too excessive.
Your tutee sounds like she has legitimate concerns, since you said she was going in for different projects and not for the same one over and over again. I think it's a sign of progress on her part. Now I'm starting to wish I could hear back from some of the people who I have helped!
That's awesome! That must be a very exciting feeling to have someone continuously come back to you. I have been a walk-in-tutor for this semester, so no one actually makes appointments with me. The one thing that's nice about walk-in's is that they are always very appreciative of someone being there last minute. The last appointment I had was really successful and she told me that she would try and come back to tell me her results of her paper. I think that is the most rewarding thing about tutoring, is walking out feeling like you have helped someone.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a regular, but it sounds like she's not abusing the writing center service and genuinely likes you which is great! I don't think it's from too much "fixing."
ReplyDeleteI wish I could've seen some of my tutees again to see how they're doing/ how their paper turned out. However, I did run into someone I tutored on campus and we stopped and talked for a bit. She told me I helped her a lot. It was nice catching up with her and knowing that she had a positive experience. She also asked me when I was working because she wanted to make another appointment with me. But, I haven't seen her again and she didn't schedule it. So I might have a regular, or at least a repeat.
I think it's good that you were cautious in making sure that your regular was coming to you for the right reasons. I would be too but it sounds like you're doing a great job and that's why students want to be tutored by you again.
Earlier in the semester I used to go to one tutor in Johnston almost weekly because he is a grad student in creative writing who is currently working with the professor who's class is giving me a hard time. I especially went to him because he understood that my showing him my story would "spoil" it for me so I always made appointments just to come and tell him about the progression of the story, tension, premise, and changes since our last session.
ReplyDeleteEventually I stopped making appointments with him because I felt like this was too much and was bothering him, since he had gone from being nice and welcoming to being kinda cold and dismissive. I haven't tried to find a new tutor to work with because I feel like the same situation would happen again. Do you feel like you'd feel better if all your clients were regulars?