So I finally feel confident in saying that I had a really great tutoring session! Of course, I think most of my sessions have gone pretty well so far but there is always that sense of doubt as to whether I am really helping a student to improve. However, during one of my tutoring sessions a few weeks ago I could instantly tell that we were getting somewhere. The student I was tutoring was so invested in her paper and really wanted to do well since the last paper she had written for her class received a D. I'll admit that I felt a bit overwhelmed in the beginning when she was describing all her struggles with this class so far. I almost felt responsible for whether she was going to pass this class or not and I was rushed with anxious thoughts like "how on earth can I provide this girl with the ample amount of guidance she needed in just an hour's time?"
I remained calm though and tried to focus on the major issues she was having with this paper such as the structure, organization and coherence of ideas. Somehow we managed to accomplish a lot by the end of the session. I felt assured that this student would be able to take everything we talked about and create a well written and clearly developed paper. I could sense a slight lack of confidence in her and realized I wasn't the only one that needed some reassurance. I told her that she was a good writer and capable of getting this paper done, which wasn't just an attempt to boost her ego but something I really felt to be true.
Even though I had already thought our session went over amazingly well, I gained an even greater sense of confidence when this same student came into the William Johnston center this week to tell me she had received a B on her paper! I was floored by the vast improvement she had made from her last paper and felt glad that I was a part of her success. This experience really helped me gain a better sense of my skills as a tutor.
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