Case Study

Tutoring is a collaborative learning experience in which the tutor and tutee gain additional experience in writing and communicating clear and concise ideas. It involves the delicate balance between being friendly and being careful not to cross the line of becoming a therapist. Ironically, writing is an emotional experience and at times, tutors have to thread a very thin line between tutor and therapist when dealing with the emotional state of the tutee. Also, it is important to be cognizant of the cultural influences that shape an individual’s interpersonal behaviors during a tutoring session. Furthermore, tutoring helps a writer become more fluent in their writing abilities and aids a tutor in effectively detailing writing strategies and in developing new ones. Tutoring students can be a stressful yet rewarding experience. At LaGuardia, a community college that boasts the most diverse student population in the world, there is an added dimension to tutoring students. Not only is it important to give students assistance with their paper but it is important to be sensitive to cultural differences and mindful of a student’s reasons for choosing to come to LaGuardia. The interactions a tutor has with a particular student may be extremely influential to their academic success and should be taken seriously.

Throughout the semester our professor Dr. Rogers- Cooper prepared us to become effective tutors. As a class, our writing was held to a high standard and we were required to critique the work of English 101 students and taught to give each student sound advice with concrete examples to aid students in their editing process. While the workload was challenging, it was also humbling.  Being pushed to my literary limit gave me insight into the mind of a student struggling to clearly communicate their thoughts on paper. There were several instances where I struggled to complete an assignment unsure if my work would meet the standard of writing that was required of me. As I prepared to tutor students, my own experiences of self- doubt influenced my approach during the tutoring sessions. I was able to give students encouragement and more importantly, academic independence as I gave them tools to help themselves during those times when they may have felt inadequate.

As part of the Seminar in Teaching Writing course curriculum, we were given the task of tutoring English 99 students as they prepared for the very important CATW examination. For many of the students in this course, the CATW is the symbolic key to their educational and career goals. Without a passing grade on this examination, they will be prevented from obtaining the college degree. With this amount of pressure on the students, it is understandable that many of them would have high emotions as they are theoretically writing for their academic lives. The students enrolled in this remedial course, must pass this examination to determine their readiness for college level English courses. Under normal circumstances, the process of writing can be an emotional experience in which an author exposes their inner most thoughts, deepest emotions and most personal experiences. When a writer entrusts a tutor with their work, the tutor is given a unique opportunity to aid a writer in expressing themselves with the clearest voice possible.

Throughout my training as a tutor, I learned of the emotional element in the writing process and its importance in being an effective tutor. Sandra Perl, a professor at Lehman College, outlined the ideas of ‘felt sense’ and “recursiveness’ in her article entitled, “Understanding Composing.” In addition, the course text Tutoring Writing by Donald A. Mc Andrew and Thomas J. Reigstad discuss the importance of maintaining a collaborative learning relationship during the tutoring process. In reading the Kozol article, “The Savage Inequalities of the Public School System in New York”, the importance of quality education is discussed. An adequate education gives individuals the ability to think independently, using the tools they have learned to their advantage. Being a good tutor is providing students with the necessary tools to be successful in writing and on a broader scope, in life.

When we entered the English 99 class for the first time, I felt so overwhelmed and nervous. Many thoughts ran through my head but the main one that kept playing over and over was if I would be good enough. As soon as I sat down with the first student, my nervousness subsided as we introduced ourselves and I told him why I was in his class. Soon after the introduction, we began to discuss the assignment which was a blog about “The Dangers of Reality Television”, an essay written by Timothy Sexton. The essay was about reality television and the dangers that it may cause. After reading the student's blog, I was relieved because he had a great understanding of the essay and formulated good ideas. The student discussed his belief that reality television has ruined the idea of working hard for a living and the youth of America now believe that starring on a reality show is the answer to a successful future. He stated that education was no longer important and it was causing the destruction of American culture. As I read the piece, I was able to interpret the “felt sense” the topic evoked in the student. Sondra Perl describes felt sense as “the images, words, ideas and vague fuzzy feelings that are anchored in the writer’s body” (Perl 365). Perl asserts that these feelings are natural and are a product of an active and sensing mind and body. While the tutee did a good job revealing his thoughts about the piece, he had some structural issues that needed to be corrected to make his piece better. We worked together to find the main ideas that he wanted to discuss based on what he had already written. I had him write down the top three ideas that he wanted to discuss then we printed the blog and I told him to go through his work and underline and highlight the sentences that go with each main idea. McAndrew and Reigstad describe this technique as “coloring” (McAndrew and Reigstad 51).  Just when I thought I was in a good position to relax, I was summoned to assist two additional students. I got nervous all over again. I had to use my time- management skills to give both students equal time as well as the correct advice to assist them in correcting their blogs on the same article as the prior student. When working with these students, they both had similar issues in their writing. They had difficulty writing a concise summary that gave the reader a full understanding of the piece. In both instances, the student only had three vague sentences. To assist the students in writing more comprehensive summaries, I asked them to re-read the prompt and identify three main ideas from the piece. After both students completed that task, I instructed them to paraphrase the main idea of each topic into a complete sentence. This exercise helped the student develop a clear summary of the work. As I tutored the students, I made sure to relate any tools used to the CATW reminding the students that they could use these same techniques during their examination to organize and paraphrase.

I had the opportunity to work with the same students during all of the tutoring sessions in the English 99 class. During the third session, the students had gotten back a practice CATW essay on Fast Food and the effects it has on young people's health. The prompt discussed Fast Food and how advertising affects children, especially their health. The article highlighted the fact that children are being diagnosed with adult disease like diabetes and heart disease. After reading the CATW prompt and the student's essay, it was evidence that the student had good ideas and a clear understanding but needs help developing and formulating the overall structure of her written work. To help her develop her ideas, I used the focused free writing technique that is demonstrated in Tutoring Writing (McAndrew and Reigstad 46). I asked her to describe what she would like to say in the essay without worrying about grammatical errors or spelling. As she began to write, she was able to come up with additional ideas that could be used in her essay. The student had many good points in her essay, however, they were unorganized. Using my version of the coloring technique that I renamed numbering we went through her entire essay and numbered key points that were related. The tutee explained that she found that technique particularly useful and would continue to use it. It aided her in improving on the one area she was lacking adequate skills. It was rewarding to know that a technique I showed the tutee aided in making her a stronger writer.

At the inception of the tutoring process, I thought it was merely a process of correcting student’s work. I now have a profound respect for the art of tutoring, as it provides students with tools that will propel them in the classroom as well as in their lives. If a student is given the proper skills, they will be able to express their felt sense accurately and gain access to opportunities that may have been previously closed because of the lack of education. In the Kozol article he discussed the vast inequalities in the public school system and emphasized the importance of value and competition. Here at LaGuardia, students from varying backgrounds assemble at this institution to gain their value. In a sense, while tutoring we are providing students with that validation they may have lacked prior to admission at LaGuardia. In order to compete in a world where the significance of a human life is determined by what they can provide, it is an incredible opportunity to be able to stimulate the academic economy through a simple tutoring session. With my help, the students I tutor can compete in the world and find their place in the career of their choosing. Thus, the same tutoring session that validates the tutee also validates the tutor as I have purpose through my interaction with each student.