My freshman year I was happy to discover that the Academic Resource Center, located in Daum Hall, offers a Writing Center with a host of student writing tutors ready to lend a helping hand to your latest piece of written work. Tutors range in year and major, making the center adaptable to the varying needs of students.
The Writing Center immediately intrigued me because I am an English major and have always loved reading and the written word. I also enjoy helping others craft their written work so as to be more effective. The opportunity to interview for a tutor position came about at the end of my freshman year and I jumped at the chance — and ultimately, I am pleased to say, was hired.
We help students work through drafts, outlines, brainstorming, research, and any other part of the writing process.
The most important part of being a tutor is working with students to help build their confidence as writers, and like many of us know, writing is difficult. It takes time, practice, and figuring out the best process for yourself. At the Writing Center, my fellow tutors and I are willing to help any student that arrives for an appointment. We help students work through drafts, outlines, brainstorming, research, and any other part of the writing process.
Before the start of each new semester, all new and returning tutors attend a training session to better prepare themselves for the upcoming school-year. During these sessions, we discuss ways to immerse the tutee with his or her work and be confident in their writing skills. Additionally, an important part of training is to learn how to guide the tutees to identify mistakes on their own and make corrections without our assistance. During the short amount of time that I have been a tutor, I have seen tutees come in with problems and as we discuss them throughout the session, they are able to work through their difficulties and leave the session feeling accomplished and with a plan for a better piece of written work in hand.
One of the best moments I have experienced so far as a tutor was helping a tutee with her research paper. She came in unsure of how to structure her essay and as we read through it and talked about different ways to place her ideas, I could see her relax about the problems she previously had. The next session we met, she had changed her paper and told me she felt much more confident about turning her work in. It is fulfilling to realize you have helped make a difference for a student, and hopefully help them feel more confident in their writing. It can be difficult to work through an essay together and find areas that need to be fixed, but the end result is rewarding to know the tutee has become confident in her skills as a writer.